2017 Methodological Summary and Definitions

This report is organized into seven sections. Section A describes the survey, including information about the sample design, data collection procedures, and key aspects of data processing (e.g., development of analysis weights). Section B presents technical details on the statistical methods and measurement, such as suppression criteria for unreliable estimates, statistical testing procedures, and issues for selected substance use and mental health measures. Section C discusses special topics related to prescription psychotherapeutic drugs. A glossary that covers key definitions used in NSDUH reports and tables is included in Section D. Section E describes other sources of data on substance use and mental health issues, including data sources for populations outside the NSDUH target population. A list of references cited in the report (Section F) and a list of contributors to this report (Section G) also are provided.