Estimated Prevalence of Drug Use Disorder in the United States

"In 2012–2013, the NESARC-III [National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions–III], a large national survey of US adults, assessed 12-month and lifetime disorders, including DUDs, diagnosed according to the new DSM-5. The NESARC-III used rigorous survey and field methods and incorporated measures of functioning and detailed assessments of treatment use. The NESARC-III results indicate that the prevalence rates of 12-month and lifetime DSM-5 DUD were 3.9% and 9.9%, respectively, representing approximately 9,131,250 and 23,310,135 US adults, respectively. Thus, a large number of US adults were affected by DUDs, as were an unmeasured additional number of individuals in the families and social networks of those with the disorder. Further, DSM-5 DUD was characterized by considerable psychiatric comorbidity and disability, thus indicating a serious condition. Associations with comorbidity and disability increased as the severity of DSM-5 DUD increased, indicating validity and utility for the DSM-5 DUD severity metric. Moreover, consistent with previous studies, DUDs largely went untreated, even among those with severe disorders, indicating that lack of treatment use continues to be a substantial problem."