Substance Abuse and Mental Health Issues At-A-Glance

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

Based on the above chart, the state of Massachusetts ranked among the 10 States with the highest rates, according to the 2002-2003 and 2005-2006 surveys combined by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Considering the measuring chart includes basically all types of illegal drugs and alcohol use, Massachusetts high ranking is quite alarming.

Drug abuse and alcohol dependency have been a national problem for ages, and the government and private sectors have paid attention. However, between 2002 and 2006, the amount of treatment facilities in Massachusetts declined from 352 to 312. According to the most recent survey data in 2006, 250 treatment facilities were private nonprofit and an additional 49 were private for-profit.

Treatment facilities offer a variation of services, however, outpatient treatment is most often utilized. In Massachusetts, 207 facilities offered outpatient treatment, another 127 offered residential care, and 58 offered an opioid treatment program, which included drug detox programs. Furthermore, 276 physicians and 73 treatment programs were authorized to provide buprenorphine treatment for opiate addiction.

In 2006, 209 facilities were funded in some manner by the federal, state, county, or local government; 179 centers had some form of agreement with managed care establishments to assist with substance abuse treatment services. Based on a 2006 survey, it was determined that Massachusetts had a one-day treatment admissions total of 39,065 clients; 34,904 were in outpatient treatment; and 1,890 were below18 years old.

The last 15 years has shown a consistent decline in the amount of treatment admissions needing cocaine and alcohol treatment in Massachusetts. However, there have been increases in the amount of admissions needing heroin and other opiate treatment. For example, the number of admissions needing alcohol-only treatment admissions has decreased from 29 percent in 1992 to 19 percent in 2006 whereas the number of admissions needing drug-only treatment has risen from 18 percent in 1992 to 45 percent in 2006.

Massachusetts’ rates for individuals needing drug-only treatment (all age groups) but did not receive treatment in the year prior have been above the national rates. Notably, the rates for individuals age 18 to 25 have steadily been among the highest in the country. Following this pattern, the rates for those needing alcohol treatment but did not receive it in the year prior (all ages) have been above the national rates.

Obviously, there’s work to do in Massachusetts. While the high rates of drug and alcohol use, and the decline in treatment facilities is off-putting, addicts should know that there is still a vast amount of help available.

Barnstable-ourne-Brewster-Buzzards Bay-Centerville-Chatham-Cotuit-Dennis-Dennis Port-East -ennis-East Falmouth–ast Harwich-East Sandwich-Falmouth-Forestdale-Harwich Port-Hyannis-Marstons Mills-Monument Beach-North Eastham-North Falmouth-North Truro-Orleans-Osterville-Pocasset-Provincetown-Sagamore-Sandwich-South Dennis-South Yarmouth-Teaticket-Wellfleet-West Barnstable-West Chatham-West Dennis-West Falmouth-West Yarmouth-Woods Hole-Yarmouth Port-Adams-Dalton-Great Barrington-Housatonic-Lee-Lenox-North Adams-Pittsfield-illiamstown-Attleboro-Bliss Corner-Fairhaven-Fall River-New Bedford-North Seekonk-North -estport-Ocean Grove-Raynham Center-Smith Mills-Somerset-South Dartmouth-South Westport-Taunton-Edgartown-Oak Bluffs-Vineyard Haven-Amesbury-Andover-Ballardvale-Beverly-Boxford-Danvers-Essex-Essex Falls-Georgetown-Gloucester-Hamilton-Haverhill-Ipswich-Lawrence-Lynn-Lynnfield-Manchester-Marblehead-Methuen-Middleton-Nahant-Newburyport-North Andover-Peabody-Pigeon Cove-Rockport-Rowley-Salem-Salisbury-Saugus-Shawsheen -illage-South Essex-South Hamilton-Swampscott-Topsfield-Wenham-West Andover-West Boxford-Greenfield-Millers Falls-Northfield-Orange-Shelburne Falls-South Deerfield-Turners Falls-Agawam-Bondsville-Chicopee-East Longmeadow-Holland-Holyoke-Longmeadow-Palmer-Southwick-pringfield-Three Rivers-West Springfield, Town of-Westfield-Wilbraham-Amherst-Belchertown-Easthampton-Granby-Hatfield-North Amherst-Northampton-South Amherst-South -adley-Ware-Acton-Arlington-Ashland-Ayer-Bedford-Belmont-Billerica-Burlington-Cambridge-Carlisle-Chelmsford-Cochituate-Concord-Dunstable-East Pepperell-verett-Forge Village-Framingham-Gleasondale-Graniteville-Groton-Hayden Row-Holliston-Hopkinton-Hudson-Lexington-Lincoln-Littleton Common-Lowell-Malden-arlborough-Maynard-Medford-Melrose-Nabnasset-Natick-Newton-North Billerica-North Chelmsford-North Reading-North Sudbury-North -ewksbury-North Wilmington-Nutting Lake-Pepperell-Pine Lake-Pine Rest-Pinehurst-Reading-River Pines-Sherborn-Shirley-Silver Lake-Somerville-South Acton-South Chelmsford-Stoneham-Stow-Sudbury-Tewksbury-Townsend-Tyngsboro-Wakefield-Waltham-Wamesit-Watertown-Wayland-West Acton-West Concord-Westford-Weston-Wilmington-Winchester-Woburn-Woodville-Nantucket-Siasconset-Avon-Beechwood-Bellingham-Black Rock-Braintree-Brookline-Brookville-Canton-Caryville-Clicquot-Cohasset-Dedham-Dover-East Walpole-Foxborough-Franklin-Glenridge-Harding-Highland Lake-Holbrook-Islington-Medfield-Medway-Millis-Milton-Needham-Norfolk-North Bellingham-North Cohasset-Norwood-Quincy-Randolph-Rockville-Sharon-South Walpole-Stoughton-Walpole-Wellesley-West Medway-Westwood-Weymouth-Abington-Accord-Assinippi-Brant Rock-Bridgewater-Brockton-Duxbury-Egypt-Green Harbor-Greenbush-Hanover-Hanover Center-Hanson-Hingham-Hull-Humarock-Kent Park-Kingston-Liberty Plain-Marshfield-Marshfield Center-Marshfield Hills-Minot-North Abington-North Hanover-North Lakeville-North Marshfield-North Pembroke-North Scituate-Norwell-Ocean Bluff-Onset-Plymouth-Rexhame-Rockland-Scituate-Shore Acres-South Duxbury-Standish-Wareham-Wareham Center-West Hanover-West Wareham-Weweantic-White Horse Beach-White Island -ores-Whitman-Boston-Chelsea-Revere-Winthrop-Athol-Auburn-Baldwinville-Barre-Bolton-Clinton-Cordaville-East Brookfield-East Douglas-Fayville-Fiskdale-Fitchburg-Gardner-Harvard-Holden-Hopedale-Leominster-Lunenburg-Milford-MillburyNorthborough-Oxford-Rutland-hrewsbury-South Ashburnham-South Lancaster-Southborough-Southbridge-Southville-Spencer-Still River-Sturbridge-UptonWarren-Webster-West Upton-Westborough-Whitinsville-Winchendon-Worcester

Resource: www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov