Adolescent Treatment Landscape of Depression, Suicidality, and Substance Use Disorder in the US

What is the treatment landscape for adolescents and young adults (aged 12-20 years) with depression and suicidality-related mental health and substance use disorders (SUDs) from 2021 to 2022 in the United States?In this cross-sectional survey study of 32 598 adolescents and young adults from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, 51% of adolescents with depression and suicidality-related diagnoses and 10% of adolescents with SUD received treatment for their conditions. Those (aged 18-20 years) with SUD had significantly lower treatment rates for mental health (51% vs 63%) and SUD (8% vs 11%) compared with adolescents (aged 12-17 years).The study results suggest that adolescents and young adults face unique systematic treatment barriers in SUD care that are exacerbated during the transition to young adulthood.

Corresponding Author: Dennis Lee, PhD, Department of Health Policy, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, 1211 Medical Center Dr, Nashville, TN (dennis.lee.1@vanderbilt.edu).

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