The COVID pandemic has not seen a drop in the United States’ opioid crisis, rather there has been an exacerbation of the problem.
A study published in JAMA Psychiatry examined the impact that the COVID pandemic had on the US opioid crisis.
Opioid misuse and addiction is an ongoing and increasing problem in the US, making up two thirds of overdoses. Some three million Americans have suffered opioid use disorder at some point. With approximately 100 million Americans living with chronic or acute pain, the situation is seemingly intractable. In 2019, there were 70 000 deaths from opioid overdoses, making it a top priority in public health, academic, and political debates. When the COVID pandemic hit, it did not displace the opioid crisis through distraction or somehow preventing access to opioids, it fanned the flames of it.
Researchers analysed 190 million ED visits, and over March to October 2020. they observed an increase of up to 45% in weekly opioid overdose admissions over the same period in 2019. Overall, ED visits for opioid overdoses had increased 28.8% compared to the previous year.
In September, the CDC warned that deaths from opioid overdoses were up by 38.4% in the first half of the year. The many stresses of the pandemic, such as its associated lockdowns and job losses and losing loved ones, has fuelled the opioid abuse. The same study also found that visits to the ED for mental health conditions, domestic violence, and child abuse and neglect increased over the same period of time, along with suicide attempts.
Source: ABC News
Journal information: Holland KM, Jones C, Vivolo-Kantor AM, et al. Trends in US Emergency Department Visits for Mental Health, Overdose, and Violence Outcomes Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic. JAMA Psychiatry. Published online February 03, 2021. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.4402
