Too often, we characterize the growing drug overdose epidemic as affecting mostly young people involved in recreational use. But when we look more deeply into drug overdose death rates nationally– across all age groups– we may well be shocked to see that the steepest death rate increases from 2020 to 2021 were not among 15- to 24-year-olds—but among their senior cohorts—their older brothers or sisters, their parents, even their grandparents.

According to a recent study in Neuropsychopharmacology led by investigators at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York and the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the increase in drug overdose deaths from 2020 to 2021 was far greater among older age groups than it was for Gen Zs (15-24 years).

Using data from the National Center for Health Statistics–Mortality File, study analysts found that drug overdose death rates for 15 to 24-year-olds increased modestly from 16.7 per 100,000 population in that age group to 17.2 from 2020 to 2021.

By comparison, drug overdose deaths over that same time period increased from 47.3 to 52.9 per 100,000 in the 25 to 34–year age group; from 53.9 to 62 in the 35-44 year age group; 46.9 to 53.8 among 45-54-year old adults; and from 37.3 to 45.3 among 55-64 year old seniors in their respective age groups.

WHAT ELSE DID THE OVERDOSE DEATH RATE STUDY SHOW?

Men were two to three times more vulnerable to overdose death involving opioids (like fentanyl and heroin) and psychostimulants (like methamphetamine and cocaine) in the study years 2020-2021 than were women.

Why?  According to Nora Volkow, MD, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse and one of the co-authors of the study: though both men and women are exposed to fentanyl-contaminated drug supply….”It may be that men use drugs more frequently or in greater doses…or there may be protective factors among women that reduce their risk of death compared to men.”

The study, based in 2020-21 data revealed:

Synthetic opioids (e.g., fentanyl) men accounted for 29 deaths per 100,000 people, compared to women;

Heroin: men accounted for 5.5 deaths per 100,000 people, compared to 2.0 for women;

Psychostimulants (e.g., methamphetamine) men accounted for 13 deaths per 100,000 people, compared to 5.6 for women.

Cocaine: men accounted for 10.6 deaths per 100,000 people, compared to 4.2 for women.

© Copyright 2023/2024 VIP-IN-HOME Detox. All Rights Reserved