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Diego considers himself lucky.
The 49-year-old, who is only identified by his first name for confidentiality reasons, looks back on some dark moments in his life, all associated with drugs.
He said his brothers introduced him to narcotics when he was 12 and he lived in his hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts. At the age of 17, said Diego, of Puerto Rican descent, he not only used drugs but also trafficked them. He said the drugs had plunged him into a spiral of addiction, shattering his family relationships and imprisoning him on numerous occasions.
But at least the drugs didn’t kill him, he said with relief in a phone interview.
“I think I’m lucky. I lost a nephew in December 2020. I lost two of my four brothers, one in 2008 and one in 2018. All because of an overdose, “he said.” But I don’t have to be my brothers or my nephew. “
Diego spoke to Noticias Telemundo from Casa Esperanza, a Boston-based behavioral health facility and one of the few centers in America that offers drug addiction and mental health services in Spanish.
The Federal Administration of Addiction and Mental Health Services, or SAMHSA, described the issue of uncontrolled use of opioids in the Latin American community as an “urgent matter” in a special report published in 2020.
With the coronavirus pandemic – and the lockdown, depression and financial stress it has caused – opioid use in the country has skyrocketed, studies show. According to a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overdose deaths have increased at a historic rate of 16.9 percent nationwide. He cited more than 81,000 deaths in the 12 months ending May 2020 – the highest number of overdose deaths in a 12-month period in US history and one of the factors that led to a one-year reduction in life expectancy in the country, something that has not happened so dramatically since World War II.
The CDC does not yet have complete data on overdose deaths in the months following May 2020, but as the pandemic is ongoing, experts fear the number of opioid abuse deaths during the health emergency. world is much higher.
Some states have seen a worrying increase in cases among Latinos.
Increase in Latin American death toll
In Maryland, the Opioid Operational Command Center reported that from January to September 2020, opioid-related deaths increased 16% among non-Hispanic whites and 13% among non-Hispanic blacks – while Latinos saw a 27.3% increase.
There is not yet complete data on the drugs that caused the most overdose deaths in 2020, but fentanyl and methamphetamine (or a mixture of the two) appear to have been the most common narcotics behind the deaths. ‘last year. This may be because heroin imports were affected by the pandemic, while the other two opioids continued to circulate as usual in the country.
“We Hispanics are the ones who die,” Diego said. Sometimes he finds it hard to believe that he was able to get into a stimulus program like that of Casa Esperanza, where demand is high and keeps growing.
“The cases we receive during the pandemic have been very high, double the [the usual]Said Orlando Colón, 55, who heads the men’s residential recovery program at Casa Esperanza, offering six to nine months of treatment for patients requiring extended care.
“Unfortunately, we are now full. When one of the 50 beds we have is emptied, we call the next on the list, ”he said. Those who cannot register and cannot afford separate accommodation end up in shelters or on the streets, where it is common for them to continue to use drugs.
Colón said it was even more difficult for immigrants, especially those without legal status, who are sometimes too afraid to get help. The inability to access the needed help in a timely manner contributes to worsening addiction problems and increases the risk of overdose death.
The effects multiply for the most vulnerable
The coronavirus epidemic has hit people with drug addiction in many ways, Colón said.
“Many have asked loved ones for help, but family members are afraid to open their doors because of the pandemic,” he said. In-person counseling services have been affected by restrictions on group meetings. “Before there was direct advice, but now a lot of it is on Zoom and it’s getting more difficult.
Before entering the recovery program, Diego said he served time in jail for a drug-related case. He said those with mental health issues in prison have suffered because of the pandemic; weekly sessions with a specialist, for example, were interrupted except for emergencies.
“They also took away all study and work programs, as well as visits,” Diego said. People with addiction who have been released from prison and who do not have a cell phone or computer find it harder to access digital platforms to receive life-saving help.
Colón, who has worked at the center for 14 years, said depression and economic stress contribute to addiction issues. Among immigrants, the trauma of migration, the fear of deportation and the lack of an extended family network are additional factors.
Latin American adults have experienced more depression and suicidal ideation than other groups during the pandemic, according to a CDC report released in February.
Stress on basic needs
Latinos surveyed reported a “higher prevalence of psychosocial stress related to lack of food or stable housing than adults of other racial and ethnic groups,” according to the CDC, as the pandemic affects so many Hispanic families and workers.
Symptoms of depression were reported 59 percent more frequently by Latino adults (40.3 percent) than by non-Hispanic whites (25.3 percent), according to the report. Almost 37% of Hispanics surveyed reported an increase in substance use or said they had started using it, compared to less than 16% of whites and blacks.
“In public health, what we see most often is when the economic problems get worse, when people are out of work and there is too much stress – which has got worse for Latinos with the pandemic – this obviously increases alcohol and drug use, ”Dr. Lisa Fortuna, head of the psychiatry department at San Francisco General Hospital, told Noticias Telemundo.
“For those who already had drug problems, relapses have increased because people are trying to cope with stress. It created even more problems because it resulted in more depression, emotional difficulties and even physical illnesses, ”she said.
The stigma persists
In her experience of treating Latin American patients with depression, anxiety and addiction issues, Fortuna said that a stigma persists in seeking help and that lack of help often leads to consumption and substance abuse.
“Many do not publicly acknowledge that they suffer from depression or anxiety, for fear of being labeled crazy or weak, let alone acknowledge that they use alcohol or drugs,” he said. she declared.
Sometimes, she says, Latinos will seek help from religious institutions instead of seeking professional help. But she warns that while studies say that having a faith or following a religion can make people less likely to become depressed or to think about suicide, “it’s not a complete prevention for depression.”
Before the coronavirus hit, the United States was already suffering from the deadliest opioid overdose epidemic in its history. The overdose death rate among the national population has increased dramatically in recent years.
In 2019, 71,000 Americans died from drug addiction, and the country declared the overdose deaths a national public health emergency.
In the late 1990s, the increase in overdose deaths was linked to the abuse of prescription pain reliever opioids, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, codeine, morphine and others.
In the 2000s, cheaper, more lethal illegal drugs such as heroin and fentanyl gained traction. In 2015, heroin had caused more deaths than prescription pain relievers or other drugs. And in 2016, fentanyl and other similar pills claimed the most lives.
According to SAMHSA, about 4% of the Latin American population abuses opioids, including people as young as 12 years old.
Fortuna said many doctors across the country are urging reform of the primary health care system so that patients who undergo a physical exam can get mental health counseling on the spot. She thinks it would make a difference among those who wouldn’t voluntarily see a mental health professional.
“There is a movement in the United States to integrate the two things, mental health and physical health. In fact, this is already happening in many clinics at the federal level, ”she said.
Amidst the challenges, “I see a bright future”
SAMHSA warns in its 2020 report that bilingual behavioral health professionals are in high demand due to their small numbers. This shortage remains a significant barrier to offering prevention, treatment, and recovery programs for many Latinos.
Colón de Casa Esperanza said it was a challenge to prevent someone from using drugs. Many of those who use their services end up relapsing or dying from an overdose.
“If 10 clients complete the program and leave, eight of them come back looking for the service,” he said. This is at the best of times, as many die from overdoses.
Others manage to get out of the black hole of addiction and get their lives back. Many of them even ended up working at Casa Esperanza, where they were once patients. “Of our 11 recovery experts, eight were clients. The fact that they want to continue working with us makes us proud because it makes us think we did it right, ”said Colón.
Diego hopes to work as a mechanic when he finishes his recovery. He wants to visit schools and tell teenagers to avoid the life he started at their age.
“I see a bright future for me. A lot of counselors here have gone through this program and it gives me hope that it can be done, “he said.” I have to work on my recovery, manage my addiction. It’s my life. I know that in this program they will help me a lot. They are already doing it.
An earlier version of this article originally appeared in Noticias Telemundo.
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