Close to 1 in 3 adolescents in the U.S. received mental health treatment in 2023, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration reported Tuesday, which works out to around 8.3 million young people between the ages of 12 and 17 getting counseling, medication or another treatment.
The result is among the findings now released from SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health for 2023. The federal agency’s sweeping annual poll is closely tracked by mental health and addiction experts.It includes a broad range of questions asked to Americans ages 12 and older living in the community, not in care facilities.
The most common type of mental health treatment was meeting with a provider in an outpatient setting, like at an office of a therapist or school counseling center.
Among adolescents, the biggest increase from 2022 was in the number getting medication for mental health treatment. SAMHSA estimates that 13.9% of those age 12 to 17 received such a prescription in 2023. That is up from 12.8% the year before, though the agency said that the increase was not statistically significant.
The share of adults receiving mental health treatment has also climbed, from 21.8% in the 2022 survey to 23% in 2023. Among adults, 16.3% got prescription medication for mental health treatment, compared to 15.2% in 2022.
SAMHSA officials said they saw the increase as a positive development, citing efforts to normalize and destigmatize seeking out mental health treatment.
Nearly a third of adolescents getting mental health treatment, federal survey finds
