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Mental Health & Substance Use

Overview

Introduction

How are Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Connected?

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, "many individuals who develop substance use disorders (SUD) are also diagnosed with mental disorders, and vice versa. Multiple national population surveys have found that about half of those who experience a mental illness during their lives will also experience a substance use disorder and vice versa."1

Why is the SUD crisis important to Delawareans?

By drug overdose death rates alone, the substance use disorder crisis continues to escalate. The rate of drug overdose deaths has increased from 6.7 per 100,000 to 48.4 per 100,000 in 2019, which is a seven-fold increase. Delaware has the second highest drug overdose death rate in the country with an age-adjusted drug overdose mortality rate of 48.4 per 100,000 in 2019. All three counties have rates higher than the national rate.

What is Delaware doing to address the crisis?

Delaware's monthly prescription rate of 33 per 1,000 persons in December 2019 was above the national average, but rates have been declining. Beginning with the launch of the Prescription Monitoring Program in 2012, Delaware has been working to address this crisis. Since then "Help is Here" was launched, community access to naloxone has been expanded, legislation to continue to support these efforts was passed, life-saving information has been distributed to the public through the OpiRescue App, and surveillance report data has been released to the public to further highlight the continued need for action.

Finding Support

Mental Health Support

In a mental health crisis support is here.

For anonymous conversation: Text DE to 741741 for the Crisis Text Line. Call: 1-800-273-TALK (8255) to National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

For in-person evaluation: If under 18, call: 1-800-969-HELP (4357) If over 18, call: 1-800-652-2929 in New Castle 1-800-969-4357 in Kent/Sussex

Substance Use Disorder Support

Are you or a loved one looking for substance abuse treatment?

Delaware has resources available.

Key Data and Reports

Mental Health & Substance Use

Data are current as of 2024

Most recent dashboard update: 1/29/2025

Here, we highlight one key statistic from each topic. Click a table row to see more detailed data for the statistic. Or click on a link under "Topic Page" to view a statistic's corresponding topic page.

Table Key
Topic Page
Indicator

New Castle County

% Change
Trendline
Adult Excessive Drinking

Adults who Engage in Binge Drinking

percentage of adults

19.8%

Increased 10%(2014 to 2019)

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Drug Overdose Deaths

Drug Overdose Death Rate

age-adjusted rate per 100,000 residents

54.7

Increased 87%(2016 to 2021)

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Mental Health

Depression

percentage of adults

18.9%

Increased 4%(2014 to 2019)

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Prescription Monitoring Program

People who filled any opioid prescription

rate per 100 people

2.5

Decreased 4%(May 2023 to May 2024)

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Suicide

Suicide Deaths

number of people

71

Increased 9%(2016 to 2021)

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Suspected Non-fatal Drug Overdoses

Suspected Non-Fatal Drug Overdoses

age-adjusted rate per 10,000 people

2.7

Decreased 37%(June 2019 to June 2020)

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Tobacco Use

Adults Who Smoke

percentage of adults

13.8%

Decreased 27%(2014 to 2019)

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Youth Substance Use

Prescription Pill Abuse in Youth

percentage of youth

N/AN/A
Youth Use of Prescription Pain Meds without Prescription

Youth Self-Reported Use of Prescription Pain Meds without Prescription

number of people

538

Decreased 43%(2013 to 2018)

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Values marked with

indicate there is insufficient data to respect the privacy of citizens.

Investigative Stories

Insights from the 2014-2018 Delaware Suicide Surveillance Study

Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder

Insights from the 2014-2018 Delaware Suicide Surveillance StudyDate published: April 2022Read the story
Delaware's Opioid Crisis

Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder

Delaware's Opioid CrisisDate published: January 2020Read the story

Additional Information

Mental Health & Substance Use in New Castle County

COVID-19 and Mental Health

What are the impacts of COVID-19 on mental health?

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on mental health throughout the United States. The CDC reported that US adults reported elevated levels of adverse mental health conditions, substance use, and suicidal ideation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 2

CDC analyses of high school students found that, in 2021, more than a third (37%) of high school students reported they experienced poor mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic, and 44% reported they persistently felt sad or hopeless during the past year.3

Data Sources

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)

Citation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data. Atlanta, Georgia: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013-2019

View or download this dataset
Delaware Prescription Monitoring Program

Citation: Delaware Division of Professional Regulation, Office of Controlled Substances. Prescription Monitoring Program. https://dpr.delaware.gov/boards/controlledsubstances/

View or download this dataset
Delaware School Survey

Citation: University of Delaware, Center for Drug and Health Studies. Delaware School Survey. 2011-2018.

View or download this dataset
Emergency Department Data

Citation: Delaware Department of Health and Social Services. https://myhealthycommunity.dhss.delaware.gov/

View or download this dataset
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome

Citation: Delaware Health and Social Services, Office of Vital Statistics. 2011-2020. Delaware Vital Statistics Report.

View or download this dataset
Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS)

Citation: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Youth Risk Behavior Survey Data. 2019. Available at www.cdc.gov/yrbs.

View or download this dataset

Footnotes

  1. NIDA. “Part 1: The Connection Between Substance Use Disorders and Mental Illness.“ National Institute on Drug Abuse, 27 Sep. 2022, https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/common-comorbidities-substance-use-disorders/part-1-connection-between-substance-use-disorders-mental-illness Accessed 14 May 2024.
  2. Czeisler MÉ , Lane RI, Petrosky E, et al. Mental Health, Substance Use, and Suicidal Ideation During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, June 24-30, 2020. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 2020;69:1049-1057. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6932a1.https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6932a1.htm Accessed 14 May 2024.
  3. New CDC data illuminate youth mental health threats during the COVID-19 pandemic. CDC. Published March 31, 2022.https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2022/p0331-youth-mental-health-covid-19.html. Accessed 14 May 2024

Privacy

In releasing this information, Delaware aims to provide information that can be helpful to local communities as they work to improve public health. However, the protection of the confidentiality of our citizens is of paramount importance. To that end, counts of less than 11 are not presented. An outside expert has reviewed the platform to ensure it complies with the HIPAA privacy rule (45 CFR 164.§514(b)).