On Thursday, a published report showed a plateauing rate in deaths from alcohol, drugs, and suicide in the United States in 2018. The findings were the first time the deaths of despair levelled off in two decades. 

However, a separate study has found an increase in deaths due to alcohol, illegal drugs, and suicide among communities of color. The report, which was compiled by a nonprofit organization named Well Being Trust, claims the COVID-19 pandemic could cause an addition 75,000 deaths of despair involving people of color. 

Trails of Despair


In 2018, researchers created a map that charted deaths involving alcohol, drugs, and violence across the nation. The analysis led the researchers to find troubling patterns that have continued to worsen in recent years. 

The map showed hot spots of drug-related death clusters in Appalachia, Ohio, Oklahoma, and New Hampshire. The researchers former the map based on data available from 1980 to 2014. 

Alcohol-related deaths were prominent in areas where Native Americans and Alaska Native populations mostly lived. A 2008 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention claimed there were 12 percent more deaths within both communities than the general populace. 

In 2014, self-harm was also the highest cause of death in western and southern U.S. states. Hot spots included New Mexico, Arizona, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Arkansas.     

COVID-19 Effect

The coronavirus pandemic has forced many inside their homes. The stay-at-home policies have contributed to a heightened feeling of isolation, economic uncertainty, grief, and stress. Medical experts claim the disease may aggravate problems that lead to drug overdose, alcohol-related and suicide deaths. 

According to Benjamin Miller, chief strategy officer and co-author at the Well Being Trust, there are several factors that contribute to a higher number of people involved in deaths of despair. Some of these factors include living conditions, employment, and opportunities. The factors, he said, affects communities unequally. 

The report found that drug overdose surged for the sixth consecutive year, affecting 9 in every 100,000 people within the black community. 

In addition, data from 2017 to 2018 also showed an overall increase in drug-induced fatalities among Asian Americans and Native Americans. Drug-related deaths decreased by 6 percent among white people. 

The study also found a significant increase in deaths by suicide among Latin Americans and Native Americans. A PAHO report claimed male suicide rates were higher than female rates in countries located in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

Male victims living in South America, Central America, the Hispanic Caribbean and Mexico were more likely to choose suffocation as their suicide method. Those living in Northern America often turned to firearms, while poisoning was the common choice in the non-Hispanic Caribbean. 

In females, poisoning and suffocation were the most common methods used in suicide. Poisoning is more prominent in North America and the non-Hispanic Caribbean while suffocation prevails in South America, Central America, the Hispanic Caribbean, and Mexico.

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