IT’S THE GOVERNMENT –
Aug. 4, 2026 – The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released the latest edition of its National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), which is the source of most national statistics related to drugs, treatment and mental health. This time the annual-ish behavioral health survey is framed as a five-year trend report covering 2021 to 2025, which somewhat compounds the preexisting barriers to gleaning anything useful from it.
The survey covers mental illness, substance use, treatment and recovery for respondents ages 12 and up. The 2025 NSDUH, published in late July, reflects 60,447 completed interviews in person or online; in recent years it’s typically reached around 70,000.
