Facts About Co-Occurring Disorders

• In any twelve month period, an estimated 10 million people throughout the United States have a combination of at least one mental health and subtance use disorder.(SAMHSA. The National Treatment Plan Initiative. Panel Report,: 2000)
• Among adults with serious mental illness in 2003, 21.3% were dependent or abused alcohol or illicit drugs and among adults with substance dependence or abuse, 21.6% had serious mental illness.*
• Between 1995 and 2001, the number of substance abuse treatment admissions with co-occurring disorders increased from 12 to 16 percent of all admissions.**
• Admissions with co-occurring disorders were more likely to report alcohol as a primary substance abuse (45 v. 38 percent) compared with other admissions.**
• Females constituted a larger proportion of admissions with co-occurring disorders (44 percent) than of all other admissions (30 percent).**
• Nearly 43 percent of youth receiving mental health services in the United States have been diagnosed with a co-occurring disorder (CMHS, 2001)
• Among admissions with co-occurring disorders, three-quarters were White (74 percent), 15 percent were Black, and 7 percent were Hispanic.**
• Almost half of all youth receiving mental health services in the United States have been diagnosed with a co-occurring disorder.***
• Eighty percent of people with multiple mental health and substance abuse disorders report onset before age 20.***

*From 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, SAMHSA

**From The DASIS Report:  Admission with Co-Occurring Disorders:  1995 and 2001 (April 2004) (Adobe Acrobat PDF, 115 KB)

***From SAMSHA Report to Congress on the Prevention and Treatment of Co-Occurring Substance Abuse Disorders and Mental Disorders