[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 251 (Thursday, December 31, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Page 81836]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-32929]
[[Page 81836]]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
Notice To Announce Commission of a Surgeon General's Report on
Substance Use, Addiction, and Health
AGENCY: Office of the Surgeon General (OSG) and Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Department of Health
and Human Services (DHHS).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: On behalf of the United States Department of Health and Human
Services, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
and the Office of the Surgeon General announce the commission of the
first-ever Surgeon General's Report presenting the state of the science
on substance use, addiction, and health. The report will examine the
health effects of drug and alcohol misuse from the perspectives of
prevention, treatment, recovery, neurobiology, and delivery of care.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jinhee Lee, Pharm.D., Public Health
Advisor, SAMHSA/Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, 5600 Fishers
Lane, Rockville, MD 20857, Email: [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Scope of Problem: Substance use/misuse and addiction represent a
significant and substantial public health challenge. Data from the 2014
National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) reveal that an estimated
27.0 million Americans aged 12 or older were currently illicit drug
users (defined as using any of the following in the past 30 days:
Marijuana/hashish, cocaine/crack, heroin, hallucinogens, inhalants, or
non-medical use of prescription-type psychotherapeutics such as pain
relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants, and sedatives) and 16.3 million
were heavy drinkers (defined as drinking five or more drinks on the
same occasion on five or more days in the past 30 days). Approximately
6.5 million people aged 12 and older reported currently using
psychotherapeutics non-medically.
According to the 2014 NSDUH, 21.5 million Americans aged 12 or
older had a substance use disorder in the past year. Among them, 14.4
million Americans had dependence or abuse of alcohol but not illicit
drugs, while another 4.5 million had dependence or abuse of illicit
drugs but not alcohol, and 2.6 million had dependence or abuse of both
alcohol and illicit drugs. People with alcohol or illicit drug
dependence or abuse were defined in the 2014 NSDUH as meeting the
diagnostic criteria specified in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders, Fourth edition (DSM-IV).
The Affordable Care Act and new mental health parity protections
are expanding mental health and substance abuse treatment benefits to
60 million Americans. Despite this historic expansion of health
insurance coverage and other advances, too many Americans are not
benefiting from treatment services. Based on the 2014 NSDUH data,
although 21.5 million people aged 12 or older met the DSM-IV criteria
for alcohol or illicit drug dependence or abuse, only an estimated 2.3
million received substance use treatment in the past year.
Drug poisoning (overdose) was responsible for about 47,000 deaths
in the U.S. in 2014 (now the latest year for which national data are
available). Furthermore, substance misuse (to include excessive alcohol
use) and related disorders contribute to injury and chronic illness,
lost productivity, family disruptions, and increased transmission of
sexually and injection-related infectious diseases; are associated with
higher rates of domestic violence and child abuse; and prevent many
individuals from realizing their full potential.
Approach: The report's scope is intended to be broad and
comprehensive, with the goal of capturing the current landscape of the
impact of alcohol and drug issues on health, referencing data sources
such as NSDUH, the Monitoring the Future Survey, the National
Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, and the
National Comorbidity Survey. These sources highlight trends over time
as well as underscore the critical nature of this public health issue.
The report is intended to: (1) Provide a comprehensive review of the
research literature on substance use, addiction, and health,
summarizing the science on substance misuse prevention, treatment, and
recovery; (2) outline potential future direction; and (3) educate,
encourage, and call upon all Americans to take action.
Potential Areas of Focus: Areas of focus in the report may include
the history of the prevention, treatment, and recovery fields;
components of the substance use continuum (i.e., prevention, treatment,
and recovery); epidemiology of substance use, misuse, and substance use
disorders; etiology of substance misuse and related disorders;
neurobiological base of substance misuse and related disorders; risk
and protective factors; application of scientific research in the
field, including methods, challenges, and current and future
directions; social, economic, and health consequences of substance
misuse; co-occurrence of substance use disorders and other diseases and
disorders; the state of health care access and coverage as it relates
to substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery; integration of
substance use disorders, mental health, and physical health care in
clinical settings; national, state, and local initiatives to assess and
improve the quality of care for substance misuse and related disorders;
organization and financing of prevention, treatment, and recovery
services within the health care system; ethical, legal, and policy
issues; and potential future directions.
Summer King,
Statistician.
[FR Doc. 2015-32929 Filed 12-30-15; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4162-20-P