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The opioid crisis has grown to such an extent that it has left a void in our perception of death in New Jersey.
For years, public health researchers and policy makers have witnessed the slow and steady progression of a positive trend: fewer and fewer people are dying of increasingly older, mostly chronic diseases. This is no longer the case, according to 2017 data from the Centers for Disease Control for New Jersey, because of two categories of swelling: drug overdoses and suicides.
The "Accidents" category, which includes drug overdoses, strokes and lung diseases to become the third leading cause of death in the state. This increase is due to a 219% increase in overdoses between 2005 and 2017, while eight of the top 10 causes of death decreased over the same period.
Anna Lembke, a researcher at Stanford University, said the crisis had not spared any region or demographic group. This is in contrast to most causes of death, which affect poor residents more than rich residents and minorities more than white residents.
"Many people were first exposed (to prescription opioids) through their doctor and, because of the health system, more white people were exposed," Lembke said. "But the black population is starting to catch up." A CDC report released in March indicated that overdose deaths among blacks and Latinos are now the fastest growing category.
Suicides, although lower-ranked killers, are another source of concern for researchers. Although New Jersey is behind the national rate, it has still increased by 36% between 2005 and 2017.
It's just a small group of residents who feel the weight of mental illness. According to the National Survey of Drug Use and Health, almost 18% of adults had a mental illness in 2016-17. More than 3% said they had serious suicidal thoughts.
About 11% of teens aged 12 to 17 experienced a major depressive episode in 2016-17, compared with 7% in 2008/09. "There has been a worrying increase in the number of suicides among young people, especially adolescent girls, in recent years," said Phil Lubitz, deputy director of the National Alliance for Mental Illness in New Jersey.
However, data show that suicides are even more common among men and residents aged 40 to 50 years. Combined with the increase in the number of overdoses, the result is a rising trend in mortality among middle-aged residents.
"There is already data showing that mortality has risen for middle-aged Americans, having declined for 150 years," said Lembke.
SPEC NOTE: Suicidal thoughts and behaviors can be reduced with appropriate support and treatment in mental health. If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the crisis text line by sending a TALK message to 741741.
Erin Petenko can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @EPetenko. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
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