Established by Congress in 1992, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. In December 2016, the 21st Century Cures Act was signed into law, reauthorizing SAMHSA and establishing the position of Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use. Keep reading to learn more about SAMHSA, why SAMHSA is important, how to contact SAMHSA, resources, and how to help SAMHSA.
What does SAMHSA stand for?
SAMHSA stands for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. As the name suggests, the agency treats substance use and mental health as one connected field, which it calls behavioral health. It is important to know that SAMHSA does not deliver treatment directly. Instead, it funds programs, sets national priorities, runs free helplines, and connects people with treatment resources through tools like the Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator.
Why SAMHSA is Important
As a public agency within the HHS, SAMHSA focuses on the behavioral health needs of all Americans by serving as a national voice through policy development and strategic priorities. SAMHSA provides leadership, supports programs and services, and devotes resources to helping the United States act on the knowledge that behavioral health is essential to health, prevention works, treatment is effective, and people recover.
Many people don’t know where to start when it comes to getting treatment for substance use disorder. Whether they have no support to lean on, no access to community programs, or are simply uneducated in the world of addiction treatment, SAMHSA works to provide those resources to people.
In addition, SAMHSA works to educate young people about the dangers of substance use to avoid the disease before it begins, because most people who develop substance use disorders first began using during adolescence.
How to Contact SAMHSA
If you don’t know where to turn for addiction treatment help, contacting SAMHSA is a great first step. The National Helpline provides 24-hour free and confidential referrals and information about mental and/or substance use disorders, prevention, treatment, and recovery in English and Spanish.
SAMHSA’s National Helpline
800-662-HELP (4357)
TTY: 800-487-4889
For additional information on finding help and treatment options, visit https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help.
For general questions about SAMHSA, including information about mental and substance use disorders:
SAMHSAInfo@samhsa.hhs.gov
877-SAMHSA-7 (726-4727)
TTY: 800-487-4889
Resources for Help via SAMHSA
One of the hallmarks of SAMHSA is that it offers a number of ways to connect people with reliable, reputable sources for assistance with behavioral health issues.
Treatment Assistance
The Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator on the SAMHSA website is the first step to finding appropriate services, conveniently located near home or the workplace. Go to the Treatment Services Locator web page and enter your zip code or city, and the locator will help you narrow your search to mental health facilities, drug and alcohol treatment centers, or health care facilities.
The National Helpline provides 24-hour free and confidential treatment referral and information about mental and/or substance use disorders, prevention, and recovery in both English and Spanish. You can reach the Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357)
Suicide Prevention
Suicide and substance use go hand-in-hand in many cases. SAMHSA funds the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, a free resource available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week that you can reach by calling or texting 988. The 988 Lifeline offers confidential support in English and Spanish for anyone in emotional distress or suicidal crisis, and it can be a starting point when substance use and mental health struggles happen at the same time.
Behavioral Health
- The National Helpline. 1-800-662-HELP (4357) Provides 24-hour free and confidential treatment referral and information about mental and/or substance use disorders, prevention, and recovery in English and Spanish.
- Disaster Distress Helpline. Experiencing a natural or human-caused disaster can cause stress, anxiety, or depression-like symptoms which can lead to substance abuse if left untreated. SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline offers assistance from the nearest crisis center to provide information, support, and counseling.
- The Veteran’s Crisis Line. This connects veterans and their loved ones in crisis with qualified responders from the Department of Veterans Affairs through a toll-free hotline, online chat, or text. This confidential support is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
Opioid Treatment
The opioid epidemic is still strong, which makes having access to the best rehab programs vital in getting numbers down. SAMHSA provides The Opioid Treatment Program Directory, which helps people find local treatment programs by state.
How To Get Involved
SAMHSA has a number of programs and campaigns that you can participate in right in your community. If a certain program does not already exist, SAMHSA offers tools and training to help you launch campaigns and programs of your own or connect with individuals who can help you do so.
Programs include:
Questions about SAMHSA
What does SAMHSA do?
SAMHSA leads public health efforts to advance behavioral health in the United States. It funds state and community programs, runs free helplines including the National Helpline and the 988 Lifeline, maintains treatment locators, and runs education campaigns around prevention and recovery.
Who funds SAMHSA?
SAMHSA is a federal agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, funded through the federal budget, and much of its work flows to state and community organizations through grants. That is why so many of its resources, including the National Helpline, are free to use.
When should you call SAMHSA instead of a treatment center?
Call the SAMHSA National Helpline when you are not sure where to start, when you need free and confidential guidance, or when you are looking for treatment options near you. If you already know you need treatment and you want a program with medical care, therapists, and a residential setting, contacting a treatment center directly can be faster. Both are free calls, and there is no wrong order to this.
Is the SAMHSA National Helpline really free?
Yes. The National Helpline is free, confidential, and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, in English and Spanish. It does not provide direct treatment, but it connects people with services and resources in their area.
About Seasons in Malibu
One of the many spokes on the bike wheel of the stigma of addiction is education. The more people know about addiction, including prevention and where to get help if it is too late, the quicker the numbers will go down. If you’re still not sure where to turn, give us a call. Our admissions team is available 24 hours a day to help you.
It is a priority for us that our life-changing drug and alcohol treatment be available to the people who need it. We are fully familiar with how much strength and courage it takes to pick up the phone and ask for help. Our counselors are invested in your well-being and are ready around-the-clock to guide you or a trusted friend or family member through the initial steps of overcoming drug or alcohol addiction.
With our superior team of clinicians at our Malibu rehabilitation center, we are able to succinctly pinpoint those areas of focus which will give the client the most advanced opportunity for success. Our approach towards healing is collaborative, comprehensive and committed
