Substance Use & Mental Health (SUD/MH)

Arkansas youth report relatively high rates of substance use and mental health challenges. This brief tracks need, access, and outcomes from 2015–2025, with comparisons across the region.

What We Track

• Self-reported SUD/MH need and service utilization
• Screening at intake (e.g., MAYSI-2) and referral follow-through
• Wait times, provider availability, and telehealth coverage

Methods

Rates are normalized to the youth population (12–17). Small-n observations are pooled over 2–3 years and annotated. When series break due to reporting changes, we note the inflection and adjust trendlines.

Key Findings (Stub)

• — add 2015–2025 trend summary —
• — highlight regional disparities and rural access —
• — connect screening to successful referral completion —

Program & Policy Notes (Stub)

• School-based mental health and mobile crisis response
• Community treatment slots and Medicaid/EPSDT continuity
• Integrated care models for co-occurring SUD/MH