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Significant mental and behavioral health disparities existed for both adults and youth with disabilities compared to their peers without disabilities.
Mental Health Disparities Were 3.5 Times Higher for Adults with Disabilities
Adults with disabilities were 3.5 times more likely to experience frequent mental distress compared to adults without disabilities (30.5% vs. 8.8%) and 3.5 times more likely to have a major depressive episode in the past year compared to adults without disabilities (22.9% vs. 6.5%). Suicidal thoughts were more than 3.3 times higher in adults with disabilities (12.5%) than adults without disabilities (3.8%).
Youth with Disabilities Experienced Disparities in Mental Health and Household Emotional Support
Youth with disabilities were 6.5 times more likely to have diagnosed anxiety than youth without disabilities (30.5% vs. 4.7%). At the same time, nearly half of youth with disabilities had a major depressive episode in the past year — 3.4 times higher than youth without disabilities (47.7% vs. 13.9%). They were also 2.6 times more likely to be exposed to two or more household-level adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) compared to their peers without disabilities (25.5% vs. 9.7%). Nearly 3 in 5 youth with disabilities experienced at least one household-level family and personal relational health risk that may have influenced their safety, stability and emotional support.
Persistent Behavioral Health Disparities Exist for Both Adults and Youth with Disabilities
Illicit drug use and substance use disorders (SUD) were also higher for adults with disabilities than their peers without disabilities in 2021. In both cases, rates were 1.7 times higher for adults with disabilities. One-quarter (25.2%) of adults with disabilities reported use of illicit drugs, compared to 15.0% of adults without disabilities. Similarly, 27.7% of adults with disabilities had an SUD, compared to 15.9% of adults without disabilities. The rate of co-occurring low-to-moderate mental illness and substance use disorder (LMMI SUD) was 2.3 times higher for adults with disabilities (9.9% vs. 4.4%). For youth with disabilities, the rate of illicit drug use was 2.4 times higher compared to their peers without disabilities (14.4% vs. 6.0%).