Behavioral Health and Substance Use 

The Opportunity

Behavioral healthcare refers to a continuum of services for individuals at risk of—or suffering from—mental, behavioral, or addictive disorders ranging from mood and anxiety disorders to substance use disorders to post-traumatic stress disorder. In the United States, approximately 43.8 million people (18.5 percent of the population) experience a mental illness in a given year.¹ In addition, 20.2 million U.S. adults had a substance use disorder of which 50.5 percent had both a mental and substance use disorder, also known as a co-occurring disorder.²

While many of the illnesses and disorders that fall under the behavioral health umbrella are often chronic, people can and do recover when provided with timely, high-quality, coordinated, and evidence-based care. For example, the treatment success rate for bipolar disorder and major depression is 80 percent, and 60 percent for schizophrenia.³ Proper screening and assessment of populations at risk, consistent evaluation and management of illnesses, and ongoing care have the potential to change recovery trajectories over time. Improving quality measures and shifting towards a culture of measurement-based care enhance the quality and, ultimately, the outcomes of behavioral health services.

NQF Related Work

• Behavioral Health 2016-2017 Final Report – 2017 Read more
• Behavioral Health Endorsement Maintenance 2014 Final Report Phase 3 – 2015
• Behavioral Health Endorsement Maintenance 2014 Phase II – 2014
• Behavioral Health Phase I – 2012 

Stay Connected 

For more information, please contact behavioralhealth@qualityforum.org.

1 National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). Any Mental Illness (AMI) Among U.S. Adults website. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/statistics/prevalence/any-mental-illness-ami-among-us-adults.shtml. Last accessed March 2017.

2 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Behavioral Health Trends in the United States: Results from the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Rockville, Maryland: SAMHSA; 2015. Available at https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUH-FRR1-2014/NSDUH-FRR1-2014.pdf. Last accessed March 2017. 

3 Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA). http://www.dbsalliance.org/site/PageServer?pagename=home. Last accessed March 2017.