National Mental Health Services Survey 2010

Reliable data are vital for policymakers who make decisions about mental health treatment needs. A primary source of these data is the biennial National Mental Health Services Survey (N-MHSS), sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

N-MHSS, formerly known as the National Survey of Mental Health Treatment Facilities, collects data on the types of services and special programs offered, types of payments accepted, and number of clients being served by the mental health services industry. It complements the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services (N-SSATS), a facility-based survey of substance abuse treatment facilities that is similar to N-MHSS in design and content.

Mathematica conducted the 2010 N-MHSS. The first year of a three-year contract focused on enhancing the sample frame, designing the questionnaire with an emphasis on bringing the N-MHSS format and content more in line with the N-SSATS questionnaire, developing the OMB package, and creating an instruction manual for procedures and systems to be used for the survey.

In the second year of the contract, Mathematica developed the survey applications and conducted the data collection. The survey achieved a 91.2 percent response rate. Data collected in 2010 will inform the decisions of policymakers about mental health treatment services and update SAMHSA’s online Mental Health Services Locator. The third year included data analysis and reports.