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This report presents prevalence estimates of prescription opioid use among U.S. adults with chronic pain.

Location-specific pain, such as back, neck, arm, and hip pain is associated with short- and long-term health effects, ranging from minor discomfort to musculoskeletal impairment (1), diminished quality of life (2), and escalating health care costs (3). Existing studies of location-specific pain are mostly limited to small or special populations with limited generalizability (4-6). This report provides national estimates of any pain regardless of body region as well as estimates of back, lower limb (hips, knees, or feet), and upper limb (hands, arms, or shoulders) pain in the past 3 months among U.S. adults aged 18 and over by selected sociodemographic characteristics.

Purpose To examine the prevalence and correlates of mental disorder comorbidity in the adult U.S. household population. Methods Data are from a nationally representative sample of noninstitutionalized, civilian adults aged 18 years or older (n = 5653) who participated in the 2008–2012 Mental Health Surveillance Study. Mental disorders, including substance use disorders, were assessed by clinical interviewers using a semistructured diagnostic instrument. Analyses examined co-occurrence of mental disorders and associations with sociodemographic, functional impairment, and treatment correlates. Results Approximately one-third of adults (31.1%, or more than 15 million) with a past-year mental disorder had a co-occurring mental disorder. Correlates of comorbidity in adjusted models included being of young age, being of non-Hispanic white race/ethnicity, having low family income, and living in a large metropolitan area. Adults with comorbid mental disorders had lower mean levels of functioning and were more likely to report past-year treatment than adults with a single disorder; they also had higher estimates of past-year perceived unmet need for care (21.7% vs. 11.6%, P Conclusions About one in three adults with a mental disorder have a co-occurring mental disorder. Elucidating factors associated with co-occurrence may lend clues to shared etiologies, help improve prevention efforts, facilitate early identification, and improve treatment regimens.

The objective of this study is to estimate the comparative associations of mental disorders with three measures of functional impairment: the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF); the number of days in the past 12 months of total inability to work or carry out normal activities because of emotions, nerves, or mental health (i.e., days out of role); and a modified version of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0). Secondary data analysis of the linked Mental Health Surveillance Study and the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (n = 5653), nationally representative population surveys conducted in the United States. Generalized linear models assessed the independent effects of mental disorders on each measure of functional impairment, controlling for mental disorder comorbidity, physical health disorders, and sociodemographic factors. The results varied across measures of functional impairment. However, mood disorders generally tended to be associated with the greatest functional impairment, anxiety disorders with intermediate impairment, and substance use disorders with the least impairment. All 15 disorders were significantly associated with the GAF score in multiple regression models, eight disorders were significantly associated with the WHODAS score, and three disorders were significantly associated with days out of role. Our results highlight the value of complementary measures of functional impairment.

Purpose This brief research report presents findings from a US national household survey on the number and percentage of parents with mental illness. Methods Using combined annual data from the 2008–2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, parents were defined as having children in the household from birth to 18 years. Prediction models developed in an earlier clinical study using a National Survey on Drug Use and Health subsample were used to estimate serious mental illness (SMI). Results A total of 2.7 million parents (3.8%) had a SMI in the past year and 12.8 million parents (18.2%) had any mental illness in the past year. Mental illness was more common among mothers than fathers and least common among Asians compared with other races. SMI was less prevalent in parents who were aged 50 years and older compared with younger age groups. Conclusions The burden of mental illness in parents is high in the United States, especially among mothers. Physicians who treat parents should routinely screen for mental illness and discuss its implications for parenting.