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The finding matters for anyone weighing mental health care or addiction treatment for a family member, especially teens, because it says something about those currently reaching care and those who aren’t.
SAMHSA reported that 27.6% of adolescents received mental health treatment in the past year. Among adults 18 and older, the figure was 21.6%.
The survey, the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, is the federal government’s primary annual measure of how people in the United States report their experience with substance use, mental health conditions, treatment, and recovery.
What the Survey Found
Alongside the treatment figures, SAMHSA reported that fewer adolescents ages 12 to 17 and fewer young adults ages 18 to 25 used alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, and other drugs between 2021 and 2025. The agency said the survey also produced findings on suicide, substance use treatment, and recovery.
Two trends move in the same direction for young people. Substance use remains down in the youngest age brackets, and mental health treatment participation among adolescents runs above the adult rate.
Why the Adult Number Deserves Attention
The more useful comparison for most families isn’t that teens are doing well. It is that roughly four in five adults did not receive mental health treatment in the past year.
That gap has practical causes that anyone who has tried to book care will recognize. Provider waitlists, uncertainty about what insurance covers, cost, scheduling around work, and not knowing which level of care fits all slow people down.
Adolescents are often routed toward help by a parent, a pediatrician, or a school, and adults generally have to build that path themselves.
What This Means for Treatment Seekers
For those researching rehab centers or mental health treatment for yourself, the survey is a reminder that most adults in a similar position are not in care, and that the barrier is usually logistical rather than a lack of options.
Two things tend to speed the process. Verify coverage before you start calling programs, because knowing whether you have in-network options changes which facilities are realistic.
And ask any program whether it treats co-occurring mental health conditions, since a substance use disorder and a mental health condition frequently appear together and are better addressed by one team than by two.
How Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Overlap
When a substance use disorder and a mental health condition occur at the same time, the combination reflects a co-occurring disorder or dual diagnosis. Integrated programs treat both together, which is the current standard recommendation, because progress on one condition tends to stall when the other goes unaddressed.
Levels of care range from outpatient therapy through intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization to residential and inpatient treatment.
For substance use disorders involving opioids or alcohol, medication-assisted treatment combines FDA-approved medications with counseling and has a strong evidence base. Which level fits depends on medical stability, home environment, and history, and that assessment belongs to a clinician.
What Providers Should Take From the Data
For treatment providers and facility operators, the adolescent figure and the young adult substance use decline point toward a shifting demand profile.
A cohort entering adulthood with lower reported substance use and higher familiarity with mental health services have greater chances to arrive with different expectations about integrated care and about what a program should offer.
The survey does not explain why the treatment rates differ by age, and the figures reflect self-reported past-year treatment rather than need. Reading them as a measure of unmet need would go further than the data supports.
Exploring Treatment Options
If the survey prompts you to look into care, a few concrete next steps help. Compare rehab centers and mental health treatment facilities by level of care, accreditation, and the conditions they treat rather than by marketing language.
Verify your insurance coverage for addiction treatment and mental health services in advance, including whether the facility is in network and what prior authorization is required.
Ask whether the program offers dual diagnosis care and who manages medication. Confirm what aftercare looks like, since the transition out of a program is where continuity most often breaks.
Rehab.com’s directory includes verified treatment centers with Rehab Score rankings, insurance details, levels of care, staff credentials, and reviews, so you can compare programs side by side before contacting anyone. SAMHSA’s national helpline at 1-800-662-4357 also provides free, confidential treatment referrals 24 hours a day.
