Evaluating the substance use disorder treatment gap in the United States, 2016−2019: A population health observational study
Open accessAbstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Only 10% of Americans with substance use disorders (SUDs) receive treatment with insufficient treatment access and screening practices proposed and potential contributing factors. METHODS: This retrospective cross-sectional study used National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) data to assess individuals with SUDs receiving treatment between 2016 and 2019 (survey n = 12,111; weighted n = 12,394,214). Demographic, access, and screening characteristics were investigated as predictors of treatment receipt using time-series logistic regression analyses to test trends and assessed treatment receipt odds, controlling for demographic and treatment characteristics. RESULTS: For those with past-year SUDs, 13.0% reported receiving past-year SUD treatment (survey n = 1605; weighted n = 1,612,154). The SUD treatment receipt rate remained statistically stable from 2016 to 2019, with a nonsignificant treatment receipt trend declining from 14% to 12%. Treatment changes were notable among Native Americans (+53.80%), Pacific Islanders (+94.10%), multiracial (-59.96%), ages 65+ (-70.18%), and ages 12-17 (-50.70%). In the regression model, race, sex, age, insurance status, and receiving mental health treatment were associated with SUD treatment receipt. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The treatment gap remains substantial and stable. Annually, about 87% of Americans with SUDs are not receiving the treatment they need. Asian Americans were less likely and those attending general mental health services were more likely to receive treatment. SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: We present an updated SUD treatment gap evaluation, and identify access and screening characteristics associated with SUD treatment receipt. Policymakers, clinicians, and researchers must continue improving access and identification of those in need of care.
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Only about 13% of individuals meeting diagnostic criteria for an SUD receive specialty treatment.
“National estimates suggest that only about 13 % of individuals meeting diagnostic criteria for an SUD receive specialty treatment (Sahker et al., 2024).”
From The substance use disorder treatment gap among US college students: Findings from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2024) · cites this paper as Sahker et al., 2024
The SUD treatment gap among college students is larger than the treatment gap observed among non-students in this sample (8.1%), the general US population, and other subpopulations of people with SUDs, including young adults.
“This discrepancy is larger than the treatment gap observed among non-students in this sample (8.1 %), the general US population, and other subpopulations of people with SUDs, including young adults (Krawczyk et al., 2022, Mekonen et al., 2021, Sahker et al., 2024).”
From The substance use disorder treatment gap among US college students: Findings from the 2021 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2024) · cites this paper as Sahker et al., 2024
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- Authors
- Sahker, E., Pro, G., Poudyal, H., & Furukawa, T. A.
- Affiliations
- Kyoto University (JP)
- University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (US)
- Corresponding author
- Sahker, Ethan
- Venue
- The American Journal on Addictions
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2023-08-15
- Volume
- 33
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 36-47
- ISSN
- 1055-0496 (ISSN-L)
- 1521-0391
- OpenAlex
- W4385850921
- Cited by
- 28
- References
- 19
- Citations by year
- 2026: 8 · 2025: 11 · 2024: 9
- FWCI
- 5.57
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- Locations
- American Journal on Addictions (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Institutional Repositories DataBase (IRDB) (submittedVersion)
- Kyoto University Research Information Repository (Kyoto University) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Mental Health Treatment and Access
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Opioid Use Disorder Treatment
- Keywords
- substance use disorders, treatment gap, treatment access, substance use disorder screening, treatment receipt, racial and ethnic disparities, insurance status, psychotherapy, adolescents, older adults, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders, Asian Americans, United States
- MeSH terms
- Cross-Sectional Studies, Health Surveys, Humans, Mental Health Services, Retrospective Studies, United States, Substance-Related Disorders
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