WASHINGTON — The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released its 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) Monday, offering a sweeping look at substance use, mental health, treatment, and recovery across the United States.
The annual survey, based on nearly 70,000 self-reported interviews, provides four years of comparable data for the first time since 2019 — allowing experts to analyze national trends in behavioral health.
“These data are incredibly valuable to researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and others, allowing for greater understanding of the nation’s behavioral health,” said SAMHSA Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Dr. Art Kleinschmidt. “They help inform actions in support of President Trump’s vision to Make America Healthy Again.”
Kleinschmidt recently joined us on the Grieving Out Loud Podcast for an in-depth conversation on the future of federal addiction policy, including proposed funding cuts and Medicaid’s role in addiction treatment.
Mental Health Trends
In 2024, 23.4% of U.S. adults, an estimated 61.5 million people, experienced any mental illness (AMI), and 5.6% (14.6 million) had a serious mental illness (SMI). These rates remained unchanged from 2021.
Among adolescents, the percentage who reported a major depressive episode dropped from 20.8% in 2021 to 15.4% in 2024. Severe impairment related to depression also declined, from 15.2% to 11.3%.
The report showed encouraging decreases in suicidal thoughts and behaviors among adolescents:
- Serious thoughts of suicide declined from 12.9% to 10.1%
- Suicide plans dropped from 6.2% to 4.6%
- Suicide attempts fell from 3.6% to 2.7%
For the first time, the survey measured generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) symptoms using the GAD-7 scale. Nearly 19% of teens and 7.4% of adults reported moderate to severe anxiety symptoms in the two weeks prior to taking the survey.
Substance Use and Disorders
More than half of Americans ages 12 and older, approximately 168 million people, reported using alcohol, nicotine, or illicit drugs in the past month. Alcohol was the most commonly used substance (46.6%), followed by illicit drugs (16.7%).
Marijuana use increased sharply, from 19.0% in 2021 to 22.3% in 2024, totaling more than 64 million users. Hallucinogen use also rose, from 2.7% to 3.6%. Cocaine and prescription opioid misuse saw slight declines.
The number of people with a drug use disorder grew from 8.7% in 2021 to 9.8% in 2024. Alcohol use disorders fell slightly to 9.7%. In total, 16.8% of Americans ages 12 and older , or 48.4 million people, had a substance use disorder last year.
Treatment and Recovery Gaps
Despite the growing need, most individuals with a substance use disorder did not receive treatment. Among those classified as needing help, only 19.3% received any form of substance use treatment.
- Just 17% of people with an opioid use disorder received medication-assisted treatment (MOUD).
- Among adolescents with an SUD, 93.3% neither sought nor believed they needed treatment.
- Among adults with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder, 41.2% received no treatment for either condition.
Signs of Recovery
The survey also captured encouraging data on recovery. In 2024:
- 31.7 million adults said they had experienced a problem with alcohol or drug use, and 74.3% considered themselves to be in recovery.
- 67.8 million adults said they had experienced a mental health issue, and 66.9% said they were in recovery.
About the Survey
The NSDUH, conducted annually since 1971, is the nation’s most comprehensive survey of substance use and mental health in the civilian, noninstitutionalized U.S. population ages 12 and older.
To view the full 2024 NSDUH report, visit samhsa.gov.
