Blog

Ohio Behavioral Health Barometer

February 18, 2014  |  Data

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released the Behavioral Health Barometer for Ohio. The barometer compiles data  from a number of sources, including Medicare, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.The barometer includes information regarding youth substance use and mental health and adult mental health, treatment, substance use.

Some highlights from the Ohio report include:

  • Illicit drug use among youth has remained steady since 2008.
  • Youth cigarette use has declined by almost 7% since 2008.
  • Nearly 4% of adults reported having thoughts of suicide in the past year.
  • Ohio's rate of severe mental illness is higher than the national rate.
  • Ohio's rate of alcohol dependency or abuse among those aged 12 years and older has declined over 10% since 2008.

Separate state barometer reports are available at the SAMHSA website. The reports provide snapshots that will be updated as new trends evolve, SAMSHA says.