Almost One-Third of Teens Received Mental Health Treatment in 2023

Almost one-third of U.S. teens received mental health treatment in 2023, according to a new government report.

The findings come from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The survey found the most common type of mental health treatment was meeting with a provider in an outpatient setting, such as a therapist’s office or school counseling center, CBS News reports.

The survey found that 13.9% of teens ages 12 to 17 received a prescription for mental health treatment in 2023, up from 12.8% in 2022, a difference SAMHSA said was not statistically significant.

According to a SAMHSA news release, the survey also found that in 2023, 3.1% of people (8.9 million) intentionally misused opioids in the past year, which is similar to 2022 and 2021 (3.2% and 8.9 million, 3.4% and 9.4 million respectively). Among the 134.7 million people aged 12 or older who currently used alcohol in 2023, 61.4 million people (or 45.6%) had engaged in binge drinking in the past month.

Marijuana was the most commonly used illicit substance, with 21.8% of people aged 12 or older (or 61.8 million people) using it in the past year. American Indian or Alaska Native and Multiracial people were more likely than most other racial or ethnic groups to have used substances or to have had a substance use disorder in the past year.