National Behavioral Health Spending Increased 8.8% Between 2007 & 2009, Totaling $172 Billion

National behavioral health spending totaled $172 billion in 2009, an 8.8% increase from 2007 spending of $158 billion. Of that total, spending for mental health services rose 4.9%, from $134 billion in 2007 to $147 billion in 2009; and spending for addiction treatment rose 0.9%, from $23.9 billion in 2007 to $24.3 billion in 2009. Between 2007 and 2009, federal spending (through Medicare, Medicaid, block grants, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Defense) on behavioral health treatment increased, while state and local government spending decreased. Additionally, during this time, spending decreased for . . .