Substance Abuse & Mental Health Related Deaths Nearly Triple Since 1980
Is anyone surprised? Chances are everyone reading this has either suffered from mental health issues or substance abuse themselves or know someone who has. You probably even know at least one person who has lost their life to either of these conditions. A study released this month from the Institute of Health at the University of Washington tracked death rates across the country. They found that deaths related to substance abuse and mental health disorders has nearly tripled since 1980. But the results aren’t as cut-and-dry as they seem. And the trends they found were pretty interesting…
The study looked at 2,000 counties in the United States in order to track the demographics of who is dying from what. Like usual, cardiovascular conditions topped the list. Death rates from traffic accidents generally decreased– which is good! But the sharp increase in substance abuse and mental health related deaths really warranted a closer look.
Researchers found that the highest death rates were in rural areas. In fact, Miami county actually saw a decrease in substance abuse and mental health related deaths. The county hit hardest was Clermont County, Ohio where the median per capita income is under $30,000 each year. So it isn’t just rural areas– it’s poor rural areas. Why? Researchers believe it’s because rural areas generally don’t have the best access to health care– especially substance abuse or mental health related care.
Now I know what you’re thinking: inner cities have huge substance abuse problems! There’s a liquor store on nearly every corner! There’s a few reasons urban areas might have shown a decrease. First of all, people who live in urban areas are more likely to live near somewhere with a treatment facility or methadone clinic. But with higher population concentrations than rural areas, wouldn’t the deaths still be higher? Well remember, this study tracked county-by-county. And in urban areas, income inequality is rampant. Go to nearly any urban area and you’ll probably see someone begging for money outside a chic overpriced high-rise.
In urban areas, poverty and wealth live side-by-side. Rural areas are generally either very poor or very wealthy– there’s not really an in between. Any drive through the countryside will show you that. Combine income inequality with better access to health care and it’s no surprise that deaths in urban areas actually decreased.
So Clermont County, Ohio saw the largest increase but what about substance abuse and mental health related deaths overall? Well various counties throughout West Virginia and Kentucky were hit pretty hard. But the worst was Rio Arriba County in New Mexico where the average per capita income is less than $20,000 a year and almost 20% of people live below the poverty line.
The good news is that talking about substance abuse and mental health issues is becoming more normalized. We still have a long way to go, but a few decades ago you couldn’t speak up about being depressed for fear they might scramble your brain. Unfortunately, access to health care and treatment for these issues isn’t likely to improve anytime soon.
You can look at the clickable map here.
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Randi Nord lives in Pontiac, Michigan. She is a journalist for the The Fifth Column, co-founder of Geopolitics Alert, and co-hosts a podcast about geopolitics.