Facts About Co-Occurring Disorders
- Among adults with serious mental illness in 2003, 21.3% were dependent or abused alcohol or illicit drugs and among adults with substance dependence or abuse, 21.6% had serious mental illness.1
- Between 1995 and 2001, the number of substance abuse treatment admissions with co-occurring disorders increased from 12 to 16 percent of all admissions.2
- Admissions with co-occurring disorders were more likely to report alcohol as a primary substance abuse (45 v. 38 percent) compared with other admissions.2
- Females constituted a larger proportion of admissions with co-occurring disorders (44 percent) than of all other admissions (30 percent).2
- Nearly 43 percent of youth receiving mental health services in the United States have been diagnosed with a co-occurring disorder (CMHS, 2001)
- Among admissions with co-occurring disorders, three-quarters were White (74 percent), 15 percent were Black, and 7 percent were Hispanic.2
- Almost half of all youth receiving mental health services in the United States have been diagnosed with a co-occurring disorder.3
- Eighty percent of people with multiple mental health and substance abuse disorders report onset before age 20.3
- In any twelve month period, an estimated 10 million people throughout the United States have a combination of at least one mental health and subtance use disorder.4
