Report finds gaps in treatment for some behavioral health conditions among racial/ethnic minority populations and people without health insurance

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

The “Behavioral Health Equity Barometer” report (the Barometer) by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is a one year snapshot of the state of behavioral health of youth and adults by demographics and insurance status. Behavioral health issues include the prevention and treatment of mental and substance use disorders. While gaps in treatment exist for the population as a whole, this Barometer identifies gaps that exist by health insurance status and for specific ethnic and racial populations.

While the differences are not statistically significant, which means the rates are technically the same, among adolescents aged 12 – 17 experiencing a major depressive episode, approximately 4 in 10 (41.6 percent) of White adolescents received treatment for depression in the past year prior to being surveyed, while only 36.9 percent of Hispanic or Latino adolescents, and 28.6 percent of Black adolescents received treatment.

The report also found that adults aged 18 and older without health insurance were significantly more likely to have experienced a serious mental illness in the past year than adults who had health insurance (5.9 percent versus 3.9 percent). Among people experiencing a serious mental illness, adults that were not insured were less likely to receive mental health treatment/counseling in the past year (50.6 percent) than adults that had health insurance (73.5 percent).

“These findings should heighten our awareness of these challenges and provide crucial insight as to how we must all work together to provide the highest quality behavioral health care services for all segments of our community.” said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde.

SAMHSA’s Minority Fellowship Program (MFP) helps reduce health disparities and improve health care outcomes of underserved populations - including racial and ethnic minority populations -- by increasing the number of culturally competent behavioral health professionals available to provide mental health and substance use treatment throughout the nation. The MFP closely aligns with the Affordable Care Act and SAMHSA’s Workforce Strategic Initiative by addressing behavioral health workforce shortages and the need to train providers on evidence-based practices.

The Affordable Care Act is also addressing health disparities by increasing access to low cost health insurance for millions of Americans, increasing the number of community health centers and the services they provide, providing free preventative services, and removing restrictions on preexisting conditions, all of which disproportionately impact diverse populations. In accordance with the Affordable Care Act, SAMHSA also created the Office of Behavioral Health Equity to coordinate agency efforts to address behavioral health disparities and advance behavioral health equity.

The Barometer also found that illicit drug treatment levels did not vary significantly by health insurance status or poverty status.

The Barometer is based on data collected from SAMHSA’s 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). The NSDUH is an annual survey of 67,500 people aged 12 and older across the nation. A copy of the Barometer is available at:http://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/Health_Equity_National_BHB/Health_Equity_National_BHB.pdf

For more information about SAMHSA, please visit: http://www.samhsa.gov/. For more information on SAMHSA’s Office of Behavioral Health Equity, please visit: http://www.samhsa.gov/behavioral-health-equity.

For more information, contact the SAMHSA Press Office at 240-276-2130.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. SAMHSA's mission is to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness on America's communities.