Chapter 5

Client Characteristics

Facility Operation and Primary Focus
Type of Care
Substance Abuse Problem and Co-occurring Mental Health Disorders
Clients Under Age 18

This chapter describes key characteristics of the 1,192,490 clients in substance abuse treatment on March 31, 2008. Clients in treatment were defined as: 1) hospital inpatient and residential (non-hospital) clients receiving substance abuse treatment services on March 31, 2008, and 2) outpatient clients who were seen at the facility for a substance abuse treatment or detoxification service at least once during the month of March 2008, and who were still enrolled in treatment on March 31, 2008.

Facility Operation and Primary Focus

Table 5.1. Facilities were asked to designate the type of entity responsible for the operation of the facility. They were also asked to designate the facility’s primary focus of activity.

• The proportions of clients in treatment on March 31, 2008, by facility operation were:

• The proportions of clients in treatment on March 31, 2008, by facility focus of activity were:²

Type of Care

Tables 5.2a, 5.2b, and 5.2c. The 2008 N-SSATS requested the number of clients in treatment on March 31, 2008, who received specified subcategories of type of care within three broad categories.

• On March 31, 2008, the proportions of clients receiving different types of care were:

• The majority of clients (53 percent) were in private non-profit facilities. The majority of clients in most of the individual types of care were also in private non-profit facilities. However, the majority of clients in outpatient detoxification (56 percent) were in private for-profit facilities, as were the majority of clients in outpatient methadone/buprenorphine maintenance (52 percent).
• Three-quarters (75 percent) of clients in residential treatment and 79 percent of clients in long-term residential treatment were in facilities operated by private non-profit organizations.

Substance Abuse Problem and Co-occurring Mental Health Disorders

Table 5.3. The 2008 N-SSATS requested the proportions of clients in treatment on March 31, 2008, by substance abuse problem treated (alcohol only, drug abuse, or both alcohol and drug abuse).

• On March 31, 2008, 46 percent of all clients were in treatment for both alcohol and drug abuse, 35 percent were in treatment for drug abuse only, and 19 percent were in treatment for alcohol abuse only.
  • By facility operation, the highest proportion of clients in treatment for abuse of both alcohol and drugs was in tribal-operated facilities (57 percent). For abuse of drugs only, the highest proportion of clients was in private for-profit facilities (47 percent); for abuse of alcohol only, the highest proportion was in Federal government-operated facilities (29 percent).
  • By primary focus, facilities providing general health care had the highest proportion of clients in treatment for abuse of both alcohol and drugs (65 percent).

The 2008 N-SSATS also requested the proportion of clients in treatment with diagnosed co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders.

• On March 31, 2008, 39 percent of clients were in treatment for diagnosed co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders.
  • The highest proportions of clients with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders were in Federal government-operated facilities (59 percent) and in facilities providing mental health services (67 percent).

Clients Under Age 18

There were 86,465 clients under age 18 in substance abuse treatment on March 31, 2008, some 7 percent of the total 1,192,490 clients in treatment on that date.

Table 5.4. Clients under age 18 in substance abuse treatment on March 31, 2008, were more likely to be in private non-profit facilities than the general client population (63 vs. 53 percent, respectively) [Table 5.1]. Private for-profit facilities accounted for 30 percent of all clients in treatment but only 22 percent of clients under age 18.

Fifty-four percent of clients under age 18 were in facilities with a primary focus of substance abuse treatment, compared to 67 percent of all clients. More than one third (39 percent) of clients under age 18 were in facilities whose focus was provision of a mix of substance abuse treatment and mental health services compared to 27 percent of the total client population.

Table 5.5. The proportion of adolescents receiving each type of care was similar to the total treatment population [Table 5.2b]. Most (88 percent) were in outpatient treatment, 11 percent were in residential (non-hospital) treatment, and 1 percent were in hospital inpatient treatment.

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