2002 to 2015. But among those who were 12 to 17 years old, the percentage was lower in 2016 than most years from 2009 to 2014.
Alcohol and cigarette use also dropped significantly between 2002 and 2016 among people of all ages.
The progress has been acknowledged by Dr. Elinore McCance-Katz, the assistant secretary for mental health and substance use at SAMHSA, however, she also believes there are many more challenges to be met regarding how behavioral health is addressed in America.
“The NSDUH data help us understand the challenges in mental health and substance use in our country,” a SAMHSA representative stated.
Author: Livia Areas-Holmblad
Livia Holmblad is an editor at Addiction Now and covers breaking news, features and everything in between. She moved to SoCal after living in NYC for about 10 years, where she worked for VICE and SinoVision as a writer, editor, host, producer, and director. Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro. Contact Livia at liviah@addictionnow.com
