Substance use and mental illness have significant impacts on people, families, communities, and societies. Previous National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reports have cited differences in substance use, mental illness, and the receipt of substance use and mental health treatment among people in different racial or ethnic groups.1,2 As part of the Strategic Plan: Fiscal Year 2023-2026 of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA),3 equity is identified as one of SAMHSA’s four overarching guiding principles across all policies and programs; these guiding principles are intended to support SAMHSA in achieving its mission and vision. In an effort to provide data to support this guiding principle of equity, SAMHSA presents Behavioral Health by Race and Ethnicity: Results from the 2021-2023 National Surveys on Drug Use and Health.
This report accompanies the annual national report for the 2023 NSDUH4 that includes selected national indicators of substance use, substance use disorders, mental health, suicidality, substance use treatment, mental health treatment, and recovery among the civilian, noninstitutionalized population aged 12 or older in the United States. Unlike the 2023 NSDUH annual national report, this report uses pooled data from the 2021-2023 NSDUHs to improve the precision of estimates among people in racial or ethnic groups. (author introduction)