SAMHSA
Pronunciation: SAM-sah
Also written as: SAMHSA — Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the US federal agency overseeing mental health data collection.
Full Definition
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is a branch of the US Department of Health and Human Services responsible for advancing public health efforts to reduce the impact of substance abuse and mental illness. SAMHSA conducts and funds major epidemiological surveys including the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and maintains national databases on mental health service utilization. The agency also develops treatment standards, distributes federal funding for mental health and substance abuse programs, and provides technical assistance to states and communities. In psychiatric epidemiology literature, SAMHSA data sources are frequently cited for national prevalence estimates and trends in mental health service use.
Usage
Usage note: Pronounced as an acronym, not spelled out letter by letter.
In Context
- "SAMHSA data indicate increasing rates of mental health treatment among adolescents." — Policy brief
- "The research team used SAMHSA's Treatment Episode Data Set for their utilization analysis." — Methodology description