DMHAS Annual Report Shows Heroin as Most Frequent Drug Reported in Admissions for Substance Abuse Treatment
Heroin or other opioids primary drugs reported in more than half of substance abuse admissions
Hartford, CT – The Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) today released its Annual Statistical Report which provides information about the services the Department provides and the individuals served by the DMHAS mental health and substance abuse system. For the second year in a row, heroin was the most frequently reported primary drug upon admission for substance abuse treatment.
“Our annual statistics continue to show that heroin and prescription drug abuse remain a significant problem in our communities. The increase in admissions for opioid use shows that people want help and are seeking treatment, and that is encouraging,” said DMHAS Commissioner Miriam Delphin-Rittmon. “Recovery is possible and help is available. People who want help for opioid abuse can call 1-800-563-4086 to find a walk-in assessment center in their area.”
In State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2016, substance use disorder treatment providers across the state identified heroin as the drug of choice in 29,221 of admissions, an increase from 27,221 in SFY 2015. This marks the second year that heroin (46%) was reported more frequently as the drug of choice than alcohol (29%) at admission. Last year was the first time any drug was reported more frequently than alcohol. Heroin or other opioids accounted for the primary drug reported for more than half (52%) of all Substance Abuse (SA) admissions. During admission to Mental Health (MH) services, alcohol was reported as the primary drug for almost half of the admissions (46%).
During State Fiscal Year 2016, DMHAS served 112,864 people. Of those, 61,341 clients were treated in Substance Abuse (SA) programs and 59,225 were served in Mental Health (MH) programs (7,702 clients were served by both programs). The average age of clients receiving DMHAS services was 41.6 years old. Younger clients (up to age 44) were more likely to receive SA services, while older clients (45 and over) were more likely to receive MH services. There were more than twice as many male clients (69%) served in SA programs as female clients (30%).
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