Repeated cross-sectional analysis shows rising stimulant use disorder diagnoses in adolescents and young adults, indicating urgent treatment needs.
Key Points
The prevalence of noncocaine psychostimulant use disorder among young adults rose from 0.09% to 0.49% from 2001 to 2020.
In 2020, approximately 7.1 million adolescents were Medicaid enrollees, with significant overlap between stimulant use disorder and mental health issues.
Diagnoses of stimulant use disorder were more common in young adults with ADHD, demonstrating a critical link between these conditions.
The data underlying these findings was collected from administrative healthcare claims among Medicaid beneficiaries across 42 states.