National Household Survey on Drug Abuse to Include Mental Health
Data National Household Survey on Drug Abuse to Include Mental
Health Data The National Household Survey on Drug Abuse (NHSDA),
the primary source of statistical information on Americans' use
of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs, will be expanded in
upcoming years to include substantial information on mental
illness and state-level data on drug abuse, according to Nelba
Chavez, Ph.D., administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental
Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). At the American
Psychiatric Association's recent 50th Institute on Psychiatric
Services, Chavez explained that she initially viewed the NHSDA
as "just another survey." However, her original opinion soon
changed. "The more we have done analyses," she said, "I have
discovered it is an unbelievable survey." Conducted since 1971,
the survey collects data by administering questionnaires to a
representative sample of the United States civilian,
noninstitutionalized population ages 1