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real health crisis
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real health crisis The number of deaths from alcohol, drugs and suicide in 2017 hit the highest level since the collection of federal mortality data started in 1999, according to an analysis by two public health nonprofits, the Trust for America’s Health and the Well Being Trust. To reach their conclusion, the two groups parsed the latest available data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. These causes killed more than twice as many as they did in 1999. More than 150,000 Americans died from alcohol, drug-induced fatalities and suicide in 2017. Nearly a third — 47,173 — were suicides. “There are two crises unfolding in America right now,” said Dr. Benjamin Miller, the chief policy officer for Well Being Trust and the founding director of the Eugene S. Farley Jr. Health Policy Center in Aurora, Colo. “One is in health care, and one is in society.” Dr. Miller attributed the increasing disparities in health care and inequalities in income as crucial factors in the feelings of despair, loneliness and a lack of belonging that contributed to suicides among many Americans. Twenty years ago, less than 1,000 deaths a year were attributed to fentanyl and synthetic opioids. In 2017, more than 1,000 Americans died from synthetic opioid overdoses every two weeks, topping 28,000 for the year. Most of the increase was concentrated in the preceding five years, when such deaths rose tenfold and the opioid epidemic became the leading cause of death for Americans under 55. Guns, which remain plentiful and accessible, were used in nearly half of the nation’s 47,173 suicides in 2017, the analysis showed. Though most common with Caucasians, suicide by gun increased proportionally more among racial and ethnic minority groups, the study showed, especially among African-Americans and Latinos. The rate among and adolescents increased 16 percent. Suicides can be the result of trauma that goes unrecognized or unaddressed — the loss of a job, home or death of a loved one, Mr. Auerbach said. Suicide by suffocation rose 42 percent in the last decade. There were 13,075 such deaths in 2017. Dr. Miller and Mr. Auerbach attributed this increase to copycat suicides. “People get the idea from high-profile celebrities who die by hanging,” Dr. Miller said. In addition, the materials used in a hanging suicide are much more available than firearms. The Top 10 Odds of Dying: Heart disease: one in six Cancer: one in seven Lower respiratory disease: one in 27 Suicide: one in 88 Opioid overdose: one in 96 Car crash: one in 103 Fall: one in 114 Gun assault: one in 285 Pedestrian incident: one in 556 Motorcycle crash: 1 in 858 |
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I try to be healthy, safe and positive. I want to avoid death for a few more decades...
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