Those interested can find "National Expenditures for Mental Health, Alcohol, and Other Drug Abuse Treatment, 1997" at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Web site: http://www.samhsa.gov or by calling SAMHSA's clearinghouse at 800/729-6686.

The study was released July 18, 2000 from SAMHSA's Center for Substance Abuse Treatment and Center for Mental Health Services.

Among other things the report says that while general health care spending grew 5% annually (on average) for the past 10 years, mental health and substance abuse treatment spending grew just 3.7%
annually.

Moreover, expenditures for treatment of mental health and substance abuse treatment represented 7.8% of the more than $1 trillion in all U.S. health care expenditures in 1997. This is down from 8.8% in 1987.

Overall, the national expenditures for treatment of mental illness and abuse of alcohol and illicit drugs totaled $82.2 billion in 1997. Of this total, 86% ($70.8 billion) was for treatment of mental illness and 14%
($11.4 billion) was for treatment of alcohol and drug abuse.