Treatment for Substance Use and Depression among Adults by Race-Ethnicity. The NSDUH Report

摘要

Racial and ethnic diversity is perhaps one of the greatest strengths of the United States; however, addressing the health care needs of an increasingly racially and ethnically diverse population presents many challenges. One area of concern for policymakers is identifying and reducing racial and ethnic disparities in substance abuse and mental health treatment. The prevalence of the need for substance abuse and mental health treatment and the actual receipt of treatment have been shown to vary across racial and ethnic groups. Gaining a better understanding of these differences may help to increase the availability and access to treatment and ultimately may help substance abuse and mental health professionals to improve service to a diverse population. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) collects information that can be used to assess the need for and receipt of treatment for substance use and mental health problems. NSDUH classifies persons as needing treatment for a substance use (i.e., alcohol or illicit drugs) problem if they met the criteria for dependence or abuse or if they received specialty substance use treatment in the past year. Specialty substance use treatment is defined as treatment received at drug or alcohol rehabilitation facilities (inpatient or outpatient), hospitals (inpatient services only), and mental health centers. Specialty substance use treatment excludes treatment in an emergency room, private doctors office, self-help group, prison or jail, or hospital as an outpatient.