A major federal report tracking mental health and substance use across the country is showing signs of progress, particularly for younger Americans.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration released its latest findings Monday, drawing on data collected between 2021 and 2025. The report had been in question after the Trump administration laid off the entire 17-person team responsible for producing the National Survey on Drug Use and Health last year.
Among teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17, the survey found fewer reported using tobacco, alcohol, marijuana, or binge drinking in the previous month.
Over the past year, that same age group also showed declines in:
— Illicit drug and marijuana use
— First-time use of alcohol, vaping products, or marijuana
— Substance, alcohol, and drug use disorders
Teens also showed fewer instances of major depressive episodes, and fewer reported serious thoughts of suicide, making a suicide plan, or attempting to take their own life.
Young adults between 18 and 25 reflected similar positive trends.
However, mental health challenges remain widespread among young people. The survey found that nearly 20% of adolescents reported moderate or severe anxiety symptoms within the prior two weeks — a rate nearly three times higher than the roughly 7% seen among adults over 18.
Looking at the broader population, more than half of Americans over the age of 12 reported using an illicit drug, drinking alcohol, using tobacco, or vaping nicotine in the previous month. That breaks down to 44% who drank alcohol, 16% who used a tobacco product, 10% who vaped nicotine, and 16% who used an illicit drug.
Robyn Oster, policy director for the Partnership to End Addiction, acknowledged the encouraging direction of the numbers but cautioned that much more remains to be done.
“Nearly 45 million people still have substance use disorder and still not nearly enough people are getting treatment,” Oster said. “It’s still well over 80% of people who needed it did not get substance use treatment in the past year, let alone quality treatment.”
Oster added that while the trends among young people are promising, “there’s still a lot of work to be done.”
