Deaths from #drug overdoses, #alcohol, and #suicides have hit a record high, according to a new report that analyzed state-by-state statistics from 2005 to 2017.
Drug-overdose deaths accounted for the largest national increase at 115%, with the sharpest jump beginning around 2013, mainly from opioid overdoses.
Deaths from alcohol and #suicide increased by 37% and 28%, respectively. All three stats are continuing to trend upward, according to the report, but the state-by-state impacts are significantly uneven.
West Virginia, Ohio and Pennsylvania are hardest hit by drug overdoses. West Virginia’s overdose rate is especially staggering at nearly three times the national average. Both Ohio and Pennsylvania’s overdose rates are more than twice the national average.
Since 2005, 26 states have experienced increases in drug overdoses of between 107%-450%. Twenty-two states have experienced increases in alcohol-related deaths of between 51%-96%, and six states have experienced increases in #suicides of between 52%-87%.
While drug-overdose deaths are heaviest across parts of the Northeast, Midwest, and Southeast, the biggest alcohol-related death increases are concentrated in the Midwest and West. #Suicide increases are occurring nationwide, with states in the West along with Alaska showing the largest jumps.
