People in America have long grappled with mental health conditions and substance use, and for many individuals, the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated these issues. The numbers are stark: In 2021, nearly 1 in 4 adults had a mental illness; nearly 1 in 3 adults had a substance use disorder or mental illness; and more than 12 million adults had serious thoughts of suicide.
The Pew Charitable Trusts conducts research and supports policies to improve behavioral health in America, including increasing access to medications for opioid use disorder, making suicide screening a routine part of health care delivery, and improving crisis care in communities so people in distress can have access to health-focused treatment instead of the first response coming from law enforcement.
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Suicide is a growing public health problem in the United States. Provisional data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that more than 49,000 people died by suicide in 2022—the highest number of suicide deaths ever recorded in...
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Substance use disorders and the harms associated with these diseases are a serious, growing public health problem. Nearly 48,000 Americans died from an opioid overdose in 2017. Pew develops and supports policies that would reduce the inappropriate...
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More than 2 million people with mental health conditions—including bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and severe depression—are jailed each year, often for misdemeanor crimes. Three-quarters of these individuals have co-occurring substance use...
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