8.3 Million US Adolescents Received Mental Health Care in 2023, Survey Finds

Meeting with a provider in an outpatient environment was the most common type of therapy for mental health issues.

A group of teens look at a photograph taken on a smartphone in Times Square in New York City on Dec. 1, 2017. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Around 8.3 million young people between the ages of 12 and 17 received counseling, medication, or another form of mental health therapy in 2023, according to a report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

This is equivalent to nearly one-third of the adolescents in the U.S. undergoing treatment for mental health issues, according to the findings released from SAMHSA’s National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

From 2022 to 2023, the most significant increase was seen in the number of teenagers receiving medication for the treatment of mental health conditions. According to projections provided by SAMHSA, 13.9 percent of individuals between the ages of 12 and 17 were given a prescription of this kind in 2023.

The agency stated that this was 12.8 percent higher than the previous year, but said the increase was not statistically significant.

The federal agency’s sweeping annual poll is closely tracked by mental health and addiction experts. A wide variety of questions are posed to individuals who are 12 years old or older and live within the community rather than in residential care institutions.

Meeting with a provider in an outpatient environment, such as at the office of a therapist or at a school counseling facility, was the most common type of therapy for mental health issues.

Rise in Mental Health Treatment

The agency found that the percentage of people receiving mental health treatment has increased from 21.8 percent in the survey conducted in 2022 to 23 percent in 2023. In 2022, just 15.2 percent of individuals received prescription medicine for mental health therapy, but in 2023, 16.3 percent of adults received such medication.

Authorities from SAMHSA said that they considered the increase to be a positive development, highlighting efforts to mainstream and remove the stigma associated with getting treatment for mental health issues.

According to the results of the survey conducted, the percentage of teenagers who receive treatment for mental health has climbed practically every year since 2009.

However, the agency has cautioned against directly comparing these results to those obtained prior to 2021 owing to changes in the methodology used to collect the data.

“Estimates from 2021 should also not be compared to estimates from 2020, or even from just quarter 4 of 2020,” according to the SAMHSA website. “The reasons are a bit complex. First, the 2020 NSDUH is missing two quarters of data. Tests of data from before 2020 show that estimates based on just quarters 1 and 4 are not comparable to estimates based on the entire year.”

The Epoch Times has contacted the department of Health and Human Services for comment.