Behavioral Health Affects Overall Health

SAMHSA published an article on their website referencing data collected from 40 million Blue Cross Blue Shield subscribers. The article stated that Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders have a negative effect on Americans’ longevity, productivity, and general health.

Specifically, depression, anxiety, and mood disorders were cited as having the greatest impact on health. Substance use disorders came in 5th. Diabetes and several other medical disorders were also noted. Having better mental health scores was associated with higher personal income. lower unemployment, and greater economic growth in the surrounding area.

The article made a case for a more complete delivery of mental health and substance abuse services to communities such that the impact of these disorders could be minimized. Promoting established evidence-based programs was encouraged as an important step in giving local communities access to practices that have been shown to be effective in helping people with MH & SA disorders.

> The Blue Cross Blue Shield Health Index

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