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. 2014 Feb;46(2):268-73.
doi: 10.1016/j.jsat.2013.07.012. Epub 2013 Aug 29.

Comparing barriers to mental health treatment and substance use disorder treatment among individuals with comorbid major depression and substance use disorders

Ramin Mojtabai  1 , Lian-Yu Chen, Christopher N Kaufmann, Rosa M Crum
Affiliations

Comparing barriers to mental health treatment and substance use disorder treatment among individuals with comorbid major depression and substance use disorders

Ramin Mojtabai et al. J Subst Abuse Treat. 2014 Feb.

Abstract

Barriers to both mental health and substance use disorder treatments have rarely been examined among individuals with comorbid mental health and substance use disorders. In a sample of 393 adults with 12-month major depressive episodes and substance use disorders, we compared perceived barriers to these two types of treatments. Data were drawn from the 2005-2011 U.S. National Surveys on Drug Use and Health. Overall, the same individuals experienced different barriers to mental health treatment versus substance use disorder treatment. Concerns about negative views of the community, effects on job, and inconvenience of services were more commonly reported as reasons for not receiving substance use disorder treatment. Not affording the cost of care was the most common barrier to both types of treatments, but more commonly reported as a barrier to mental health treatment. Improved financial access through the Affordable Care Act and parity legislation and integration of mental health and substance use disorder services may help to reduce treatment barriers among individuals with comorbid mental health and substance disorders.

Keywords: Barriers to care; Comorbidity; Mental health services; Service use; Substance disorder services.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Derivation of the sample of 393 adult participants of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH 2005-2011) with comorbid 12-month major depressive episodes (MDE) and substance use disorder (SUD) who had perceived an unmet need for both mental health (MH) and SUD treatments. Footnotes: a The sample includes 12 participants with missing data on treatment.
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