Dan Kildee: “This legislation requires States to submit a report on the number of patients served for opioid use disorder at…”

“This legislation requires States to submit a report on the number of patients served for opioid use disorder at institutions for mental diseases, their length of stay, and the care they received after they were discharged. My amendment would add two requirements to that report. The first additional element addresses co-occurring disorders. My amendment would require that States include information on the number of individuals suffering from these disorders, as well as the type of specific disorders from which they suffer. Co-occurring disorders are a terrible situation in which a person is simultaneously experiencing a mental illness and a substance use issue. This is especially prevalent in our veteran population, with the VA estimating that about one-third of veterans seeking treatment for substance use disorder also meet the criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder. Co-occurring disorders can be especially difficult for doctors to diagnose because of how complex symptoms can be, with one often masking the symptoms of the other. As of 2016, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration estimates that more than 8 million adults in the U.S. had co-occurring disorders. Half of them did not receive proper treatment, and around one-third received no care for mental illness or substance use disorder.…”