Introduction

Results from the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health Detailed Tables is a collection of tables presenting national estimates from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). These tables present information on past year mental health measures and past year mental health service utilization for youths aged 12 to 17 and adults aged 18 or older. Adult tables include measures on any mental illness (AMI), serious mental illness (SMI), moderate mental illness (MMI), mild mental illness (LMI), mental health service utilization, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, major depressive episode (MDE), treatment for depression (among adults with MDE), and serious psychological distress (SPD). Youth tables include measures on mental health service utilization, MDE, and treatment for depression (among youths with MDE). Measures related to the co-occurrence of mental disorders with substance use or with substance use disorders also are presented for both adults and youths. Measures of these characteristics and behaviors are presented by a variety of demographic, geographic, and other variables. The estimates in the tables include rates of persons having the characteristics, numbers of persons with these characteristics, and other measures.

The majority of these tables present trend estimates from the 2008 and 2009 NSDUHs, although in many of the adult tables the 2008 estimates are based on a half sample of respondents. Also included are three tables that present data from earlier surveys in the series, including two tables with data from 2002 to 2009 and one table with data from 2004 to 2009. Prior to the 2009 NSDUH, tables presenting information on past year mental disorders and past year mental health service utilization were included within the main Detailed Tables, which were published earlier this year.

The 2009 Mental Health Detailed Tables include estimates of the nonmedical use of prescription psychotherapeutic drugs, prescription stimulants, and methamphetamine that take into account data on methamphetamine use based on information obtained from survey items added to NSDUH in 2005 and 2006. In a methodological study, these measures were found to be noticeably higher when the data from the additional methamphetamine use items were taken into account. Estimates for use of illicit drugs overall and use of illicit drugs other than marijuana, however, were affected only minimally by these methamphetamine use items and were not revised. Section B.4.8 in Appendix B of the Results from the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: National Findings provides a discussion of the revised measures and the procedures used to generate estimates based on them.¹

Throughout the survey series, the NSDUH questionnaire has been used to collect data on special topics, such as mental health. Questions on mental health for youth (aged 12 to 17) and adults (aged 18 or older) were first introduced in the 1994 NSDUH and continued through the 1997 NSDUH. Mental health questions were re-introduced beginning in the 2000 NSDUH and continued through the 2009 NSDUH. Because of survey improvements in the 2002 NSDUH, the 2002 data constitute a new baseline for tracking trends in substance use and mental health measures. Therefore, estimates from the 2002 through 2009 surveys should not be compared with estimates from the 2001 or earlier surveys to examine changes over time. Due to further survey improvements and questionnaire changes from 2002 to 2009 it is difficult to assess long term trends for some of the mental health issues (e.g. SMI, SPD, and MDE). Changes concerning mental health data are described in more detail below.

Revisions to the mental health module in the 2008 NSDUH questionnaire resulted in new estimates for adults aged 18 or older being added to the 2008 Detailed Tables (SMI, 30-day SPD, and suicidal thoughts and behavior) and the discontinuation of trends for other estimates (adult MDE and 12-month SPD). SMI estimates were not produced from 2004 through 2007, and the SMI estimates presented in the 2008 Detailed Tables are not comparable with the SMI estimates produced from NSDUH data prior to 2004. This revised module included a split-sample that resulted in some of the 2008 estimates being based on only half of the 2008 sample of adults or on 2008 data that combined the two half samples. The split sample was removed from the 2009 mental health module; therefore, all 2009 estimates are based on the full sample. Analyses of the 2009 data indicated that comparisons between 2009 and 2008 data for various measures should be based on only a subsample of the 2008 data. These measures include adult MDE and new measures of AMI, LMI, and MMI. Throughout the tables, notes have been added for clarity to the applicable tables to document estimates that are based on the 2008 subsample. The questionnaire changes caused discontinuities in trends for 12-month SPD; thus, data is not included in the Detailed Tables.

There were no revisions to the 2008 questionnaire that affected measures for youths aged 12 to 17, but revisions to the youth mental health service utilization module of the 2009 NSDUH questionnaire resulted in new estimates and a discontinuation of trends for several sources of mental health service in the 2009 Mental Health Detailed Tables. Measures on mental health services from educational sources and experiences with the juvenile justice system were affected by the revisions. Estimates for these items are presented only for 2009 and include footnotes denoting new or revised items. No questionnaire changes were made in 2008 that affected adult mental health service utilization questions; therefore, estimates of mental health service utilization presented in these mental health detailed tables reflect trends from 2002 to 2009.

For detailed information on revisions to both the adult and the youth mental health items, see Sections B.4.2 to B.4.4 in Appendix B of the Results from the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Mental Health National Findings.

Subsets of the Detailed Tables are included in Appendices F and G of the report titled Results from the 2009 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Volume II. Technical Appendices and Selected Prevalence Tables. A description of the survey measurement issues and the sample design and estimation procedures used in the 2009 NSDUH can be found in technical appendices within that same report.

Table Numbering

The Mental Health Detailed Tables are numbered using a three-part numbering scheme (e.g., 1.15A). The first part of the table number (1.15A) is the subject matter section to which a particular table belongs. The second part (1.15A) is the number of the table within a particular section. The third part (1.15A) is a table type indicator, an alphabetic letter appended to the table number. Each table number, as explained below, has multiple table types. Tables are numbered sequentially within each subject matter section. To the extent possible, identical tables are assigned the same table number each year except in the case where specific tables are removed or added. Prior to the 2009 NSDUH, many of the detailed tables on mental health were included in Sections 6 and 8 of the Detailed Tables.

The three subject matter sections and the number of tables per section are as follows:

Section 1: Adult Mental Health Tables - 1.1 to 1.53
Section 2: Youth Mental Health Tables - 2.1 to 2.14
Section 3: Sample Size and Population Tables - 3.1 to 3.10

The table type indicators are primarily defined as follows:

Section 1 and Section 2 tables within the Mental Health Detailed Tables contain five table types (A, B, C, D, and P) as defined above. Section 3 tables contain three table types (A, C, and N). Note that table type N is used exclusively within Section 3 to display the sample size counts.

Locating and Accessing a Table

The Mental Health Detailed Tables are organized by table type into two categories:

• Prevalence Estimates and Sample Sizes - Table Types A, B, and N
  
  
• Standard Errors and P Values - Table Types C, D, and P.

Both categories are organized based on eight subject matter sections as listed below. Clicking on the subject matter section of interest will take you to an index of tables for that section. Scroll through the list of table titles to find the table of interest, and click on the table title to go directly to that table. You need to return to the Table of Contents to access tables from other sections or categories.

The three subject matter sections are as follows:

Section 1: Adult Mental Health Tables
Section 2: Youth Mental Health Tables
Section 3: Sample Size and Population Tables

Printing a Table

For best printing results, use the PDF web file of this report located at http://samhsa.gov/data/WebOnly.htm#NSDUHtabs.

General PDF Printing Instructions:

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