Mental and Substance Use Disorders Prevalence Study

Abstract

The Mental and Substance Use Disorders Prevalence Study (MDPS) provides the most up-to-date prevalence estimates of specific mental health disorders in the U.S. adult population. MDPS is also the first study to estimate the national prevalence of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. The study is a pilot program funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) as a cooperative agreement with RTI International. The study provides prevalence rates of mental and substance use disorders including past-year and lifetime schizophrenia spectrum disorders (defined as including schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and schizophreniform disorder), past-year bipolar I disorder, major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, anorexia nervosa, and past-year alcohol, opioid, cannabis, stimulant, and sedative/hypnotic/anxiolytic use disorders. The MDPS also provides treatment rates among those with these mental and substance use disorders. The study sample included adults aged 18 to 65 residing in households, prisons, homeless shelters, and state psychiatric hospitals in the United States. The MDPS addresses two gaps in prior research: (1) the exclusion of institutionalized populations at high risk for disorders, and (2) the reliance on self-report measures or nonclinical interviews to assess mental and substance use disorders. Clinical interviews were conducted with close to 5,700 participants, virtually or in person, between October 2020 and October 2022. Prevalence rates and treatment estimates were combined for the household and non-household samples and weighted accordingly. Key MDPS findings are:
 Approximately 3.7 million adults aged 18 to 65 (1.8 percent) had a lifetime history of schizophrenia spectrum disorders. A total of 1.2 percent of adults aged 18 to 65 (approximately 2.5 million adults) met diagnostic criteria for a schizophrenia spectrum disorder in the past year. These prevalence rates are two to three times higher than found in prior studies.
 The two most common mental disorders among adults aged 18 to 65 were major depressive disorder (15.5 percent, or approximately 31.4 million adults) and generalized anxiety disorder (10.0 percent, or approximately 20.2 million adults). These prevalence rates are much higher than reported by prior studies.
 The most common substance use disorder among adults aged 18 to 65 was alcohol use disorder. Approximately 13.4 million adults (6.7 percent) met criteria for alcohol use disorder in the past year.
 A total of 3.8 percent of adults aged 18 to 65 had cannabis use disorder (approximately 7.7 million adults), 1.6 percent had stimulant use disorder (approximately 3.2 million adults), and 0.5 percent had opioid use disorder (approximately 1.0 million adults). Substance use disorder estimates are lower than those found in prior research.
 One in 4 adults aged 18 to 65 (25.1 percent) had one or more MDPS mental disorders. One in 12 (8.0 percent) had two or more MDPS mental disorders.
 One in 10 adults aged 18 to 65 (10.6 percent) had one or more MDPS substance use disorders, and 1.8 percent had two or more MDPS substance use disorders.
 One in 20 adults aged 18 to 65 (5.5 percent) had at least one MDPS mental disorder and at least one MDPS substance use disorder. This percentage represents approximately 11.0 million adults aged 18 to 65 with co-occurring mental and substance use disorders in the past year.
 Among adults aged 18 to 65 with any MDPS mental disorder, 60.8 percent received any treatment in the past year.
 Among adults aged 18 to 65 with any MDPS substance use disorder, 12.2 percent received any treatment in the past year.

This report provides the study background, key study objectives, study methods, findings, lessons learned, findings in the context of previous research recommendations for future studies, and data tables with the prevalence and treatment rates. The MDPS dataset will be made available for restricted use upon approval through the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (https://www.icpsr.umich.edu/web/pages/ ) in fall 2023.