Suicides and drug overdose reduce life expectancy in the United States

Suicides and drugs overdose two reasons for the increase in the number of deaths in the United States last year. They were also partly responsible for the continued decline in the expected lives of Americans.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that there have been more than 2.8 million deaths in the country in 2017, nearly 70,000 more than in 2016. That's the more deaths in a year since the US government began counting more than a century ago.

According to Associated Press, this increase is partly due to the growth and aging of the country's population. But it is deaths in younger age groups – especially middle-aged people – who have most affected life expectancy, experts said.

The "statistics We realize that we are losing too many Americans too early and too often to avoid avoidable conditions, "said CDC Director Robert Redfield.

The report, titled "Suicide Mortality in the United States, 1999-2017," was based on government records. It shows that last year's suicide death rate was the highest in at least 50 years. There were more than 47,000 suicides, compared to just under 45,000 the year before.

In addition to suicide, the United States is going through a crisis of drug abuse with more than 70,000 overdose deaths last year. The CDC report, "Deaths Due to a Drug Overdose in the United States, 1999-2017," indicates that the number of overdose deaths increased by 10% last year. He attributes this increase largely to the illegal use of synthetic opioids, medications designed to relieve pain.

Reduction

For a long time, life expectancy rates in the United States have increased, increasing by a few months almost every year. Now, life expectancy is decreasing. It dropped in 2015, remained unchanged in 2016 and fell again last year, the CDC said.

A baby born in the United States last year should live about 78 years and 7 months. An American born in 2015 or 2016 had to live about a month longer, and another born in 2014 about two months longer than that.

The life expectancy of the nation is the longest since the early 1900s, when World War I and influenza combined killed nearly 1 million Americans. In 1918, the average life expectancy was 39 years.

Except the unusual experience of the early 20's^th century, "we have never seen anything like it," said Robert Anderson, a CDC official.

Among the top 10 causes of death in the country, only the cancer death rate decreased in 2017, while 7 other causes increased. They include suicide, drug overdose, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease.

Heart disease remains the leading cause of death and the death rate from heart disease has stopped falling. In the past years, reducing the number of deaths from heart disease was enough to counterbalance other causes of death, but this is no longer the case, Anderson said.

Causes of death

CDC officials have not tried to explain the cause of the decline in life expectancy, but a specialist in disease prevention thinks this cause is desperation.

William Dietz works at George Washington University in Washington, DC. He suggested that financial struggles, inequalities and political divisions were depreciating many Americans. "I really think that people are more and more desperate and that leads to drug use, that leads to … suicide," he said.

But the increase in the number of drug overdose deaths began to slow down. From 2015 to 2016, the rate of increase was 26%, but from 2016 to 2017, it was 10%.

That's no reason to celebrate, said John Rowe, professor of health policy at Columbia University in New York.

"Maybe it's starting to slow down, but it's not back yet," Rowe said. "I think it will take several years."

I am Susan Shand.

Words in this story

overdose – not. a quantity of a drug or a drug that is too much and usually dangerous

statistical – not. a number that represents information

synthetic – adj. made by combining different substances: unnatural

influenza – not. a common illness caused by a virus that causes fever, weakness, body aches and breathing problems

Diabetes – not. a serious illness in which the body can not properly control the amount of sugar in your blood because it does not have enough insulin