The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recently released a report illustrating
the association between serious mental illness and addiction in the national adult population. The report, "Serious
Mental Illness and Its Co-Occurrence with Substance Use Disorder," draws upon findings from the "2002 National Survey on Drug Use and Health."

To view the report, click here.

To view the findings from the survey, click here.

According to the SAMHSA report, the rate of serious mental illness among the general adult population in the United States was 8.3 percent in 2002. 29.1 percent of adults with illegal drug dependence or misuse also had serious mental illness. The rate of substance use disorder was higher among populations with serious mental illness than among populations without mental illness:

• 28.8 percent of people with serious mental illness had co-occuring alcohol dependence or misuse, as opposed to 23.9 percent of the adult population without mental illness
• 28.9 percent of people with serious mental illness had co-occuring illicit drug use, as opposed to 12.7 percent of the adult population without mental illness
• 23.2 percent of people with serious mental illness had some form of substance use disorder, as opposed to 8.2 percent of the adult population without mental illness

SAMHSA Administrator Charles Curie commented, "The time has come to ensure that all Americans who
experience co-occurring mental and substance use disorders have an opportunity for treatment and recovery. Clearly our systems of services must continue to evolve to reflect the growing evidence base that promotes integrated treatment and supportive services. Both disorders must be addressed as primary illnesses and treated
as such."