SAMHSA Reports: Youth and Alcohol & Illicit Drug Treatment
- According to the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN): In 2004, there were over 15,000 emergency department (ED) visits by adolescents aged 12 to 17 whose suicide attempts involved drugs.
Almost three quarters of these drug-related suicide attempts were serious enough to merit the patient's admission to the same hospital or transfer to another health care facility.
Pain medications were involved in about half of the suicide attempts.
Antidepressants or other psychotherapeutic medications were involved in over 40 percent of the suicide attempts by adolescents who were admitted to the hospital. DAWN data do not distinguish which of the patients had been prescribed antidepressants to treat a preexisting condition.
- Based on SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), the average age of first illicit drug use among admissions for substance abuse treatment changed between 1993 and 2003. The average age of first use of any illicit drug among substance abuse treatment admissions showed a slight decrease from age 18.8 in 1993 to age 18.6 in 2003. Among substance abuse treatment admissions whose earliest reported drug of abuse at admission was stimulants, opiates, or cocaine, the average age of first use rose between 1993 and 2003 (for stimulants from age 18.5 to age 19.7; for opiates from age 21.0 to age 22.1; and for cocaine from age 22.5 to age 22.7). For marijuana, however, it decreased. The average age of first use among substance abuse treatment admissions whose earliest reported drug of abuse was marijuana decreased from age 15.1 in 1993 to age 14.6 in 2003. While the average age of first use of any drug remained the same or decreased between 1993 and 2003 for all age groups, the percentage of substance abuse treatment admissions starting drug use before age 13 increased for all age groups except those age 18-24 at treatment admission. Criminal justice was the only admissions referral source that had a decrease in the average age of first use of any illicit drug. The average age of first use of any illicit drug for admissions referred by the criminal justice system decreased from age 17.6 in 1993 to age 16.8 in 2003.
- An estimated 142,701 alcohol-related emergency department (ED) visits reported to SAMHSA's Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) system were made by patients aged 12 to 20. Nearly half (42%) of drug-related ED visits among patients aged 12 to 20 involved alcohol. Patients aged 18 to 20 were approximately 3 times as likely as patients aged 12 to 17 to have an alcohol-related ED visit. ED visits involving alcohol with other drugs were almost 2 times as likely as visits involving only alcohol to result in admission to the hospital for inpatient care (19% vs. 10%).
- Of the approximately 78,000 admissions aged 12 to 17 in the 26 States that reported presence or absence of co-occurring problems to SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), about 16,000 (21%) were admissions with a co-occurring psychiatric problem in addition to an alcohol and/or drug problem. Adolescent admissions with co-occurring disorders were more likely to be female than adolescent admissions for only substance use disorders (38% vs. 28%). Nearly three-quarters of adolescent admissions with co-occurring disorders were White (72%) compared to half of adolescent admissions for only substance use disorders (51%). Criminal justice system referrals for treatment were the most common source of referral for both adolescent admissions with co-occurring disorders (48%) and adolescent admissions for only substance use disorders (57%).
- Among the 1.9 million admissions reported to SAMHSA's 2002 Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), more (56%) reported the abuse of multiple substances (polydrug use) than abuse of any single substance. Alcohol was the most common substance reported (76%) by the polydrug admissions, marijuana was second (55%), followed by cocaine (48%), opiates (27%) and other drugs (26%). Younger admissions were more likely to report polydrug abuse than older admissions: 65% of those younger than age 20 reported polydrug abuse compared with 41% of those aged 45 or older.
- All substance abuse treatment admissions increased 23% between 1992 and 2002. The number of adolescent treatment admissions, however, increased 65% (from 95,000 admissions in 1992 to 156,000 in 2002) and accounted for 8% of all admissions reported to SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS) in 2002. Between 1992 and 2002, adolescent substance abuse treatment admissions reporting marijuana as the primary substance increased from 23% to 64%; while substance abuse treatment admissions reporting alcohol as the primary substance decreased from 56% to 20% of all adolescent substance abuse treatment admissions. In 2002, more than half (54%) of adolescent substance abuse admissions were referred to substance abuse treatment through the criminal justice system compared with 40% in 1992.
- Based on SAMHSA's 2000 Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), about 10 percent (15,000) of substance abuse admissions aged 18 or younger were referred by schools. Four States had rates of at least twice the national average of school referrals: South Carolina (32%), Hawaii (28%), New Hampshire (25%) and Virginia (22%). In four States, school referrals made up 2% or less of youth substance abuse admissions: Montana, Nevada, Missouri, and North Dakota.
- In 2001, 60% of the 112,000 substance abuse treatment admissions aged 18-20 reported to SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), involved alcohol. Admissions aged 18-20 for alcohol only were more likely to have been referred by the criminal justice system (70%) than admissions for alcohol with a secondary drug (56%). Alcohol only treatment admissions aged 18-20 were less likely to have started using alcohol prior to the age of 13 than admissions for alcohol with a secondary drug (12% vs. 23%).
- Based on SAMHSA's 2002 National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS), 7 percent served primarily clients younger than 18 years. Adolescent facilities were more likely than adult facilities to offer special programs for clients with co-occurring substance abuse and psychological problems. In adolescent facilities, the majority of clients were treated for both alcohol and drug abuse problems. About 8 percent of the clients in adolescent facilities were treated for only alcohol abuse and not drug abuse compared with 22 percent in adult facilities.
- In 2000, Hispanic females aged 12 to 17 were at higher risk for suicide than other youths. Only 32 percent of Hispanic female youths at risk for suicide during the past year, however, received mental health treatment during this same time period. See The NHSDA Report: Risk of Suicide Among Hispanic Females Aged 12 to 17.
- Among marijuana treatment admissions for youth, 59 percent were white, 23 percent were Black, 12 percent were Hispanic, 2 percent were Asian/Pacific Islanders, and 2 percent were American Indian and Alaska Natives.
- The number of Asian and Pacific Islander adolescent substance abuse treatment admissions increased by 52 percent between 1994 and 1999.
- Among juvenile correctional facilities, 37 percent provided on-site substance abuse treatment and 59 percent conducted drug testing.
- By 1999, more than half of all adolescent marijuana admissions were referred through the criminal justice system. Adolescent marijuana admissions through the criminal justice system increased at a higher rate than admissions through other sources.
- By 1998, almost half (49 percent) of all youth treatment admissions were through the criminal justice system. This represented a significant increase from the 39 percent referred through the criminal justice system in 1993.
- More than half of 1999 adolescent admissions involving inhalant abuse also involved both alcohol and marijuana.
