'Wake-up call': Iowa deaths by drugs, alcohol and suicide to jump 36 percent by 2025
Globe GazetteNov 28, 2017
A meteoric increase in deaths by drugs, alcohol and suicide in
The 200-page report says those three causes could account for 46 deaths per 100,000 deaths in
That compares with 33.9 per 100,000 in 2015 and 16.6 per 100,000 in 1999.
If trends continue, about 1.6 million people in
Well-being crisis
The report, based on data from the
The report calls the projections a "wake-up call" of a serious well-being crisis.
"In stark terms, they are signals of serious underlying concerns facing too many Americans - about pain, despair, disconnection and lack of opportunity - and the urgent need to address them," according to the report.
The authors also warn that their projections might be conservative. That's because America's opioid crisis continues, along with a rapid rise in the use of heroin and fentanyl.
Although the crises have received considerable attention, "actions that have been taken to date are severely inadequate," according to the report.
Here's where
Nationally, drug overdose deaths tripled between 2000 and 2015, with a total of 52,400 deaths in 2015.
State officials reported this month that
However, overdose deaths caused primarily by opioids totaled 86 in 2016 (70 prescription and 16 heroin), while opioid-related overdose deaths rose to an all-time high of 180, according to
Rural communities have been particularly affected by the opioid and suicide crises in the past 15 years. Before 2000, rates of drug overdoses in rural communities had been lower than in metro areas of the country. Drug overdose death rates increased sevenfold in rural America.
Nationally, alcohol-induced deaths rose to a 35-year high of 33,200 in 2015. That doesn't include deaths from injury and violence in which alcohol was a factor.
Nationally, the suicide death rate increased 28 percent from 2000 to 2015, when 44,000 Americans took their own lives. The suicide rate in rural areas was 40 percent higher than in metro areas.
Last year, 44.7 million American adults experienced a mental illness, 20.1 million experienced a substance use disorder and 8.2 million experienced both - numbers that probably underestimate the scope of the problem, because of issues with stigma. Only about 1 in 10 Americans with substance use disorder receive recommended treatment, the report said.
Resilience needed
If there is good news, it's that mental health professionals know a lot about what works and what can make a difference.
What works is part of a "national resilience strategy" of 60 research-based policies, practices and programs that could reduce substance misuse and suicide.
The state also complies with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that helps provide screening services for children from birth to age 2 for disabilities and helps connect families with early intervention services.
However, the state falls short of other measures the report recommends, such as prescription drug monitoring.