Couples Drug Overdose Deaths Rising in Pennsylvania

Deaths Rising in Pennsylvania involving drug overdoses have caught the attention of couples rehabs. Their staff ensures they will aid those struggling to find the correct treatment in their area.

Orange County , United States – February 9, 2021 /MarketersMedia/ —

Couples Rehabs works with rehabilitation centers across the United States and follows the statistics regarding substance abuse. Recently because of the pandemic, some states are suffering more than others.

As Pennsylvania grapples with a complex and evolving drug epidemic, sobering new statistics from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that the state has seen a dramatic increase in drug deaths in recent years, and deaths before – and after – the deaths tell a shocking story. In Pennsylvania, nearly 3,400 overdose deaths were reported in 2015, a 23 percent increase from 2014, according to a week-long analysis of overdose deaths released nationwide by the Drug Enforcement Administration. West Virginia had a 12-month period in January 2015 when the CDC began documenting overdoses – deaths. Since 1994, there has been an age-adjusted drug overdose death rate of about 1.5 per 100,000 people per year, but by 2015, that rate had more than tripled to 16.3 per 100,000.

Though that gap has narrowed since then, an analysis of state statistics suggests the state could be on track by 2020, with more than twice as many deaths linked to alcohol, opioids and other drugs. While overdose deaths have declined in several states in 2018, fentanyl deaths have increased in Pennsylvania. In states with low fentanyl use, overdose death rates have declined or increased in recent years, according to the CDC.

In 2017, only West Virginia and Ohio had higher overdose death rates than Pennsylvania, according to the CDC, and both had the highest overdose death rates in the country. Only West Virginia and Ohio have had more fentanyl deaths in 2018 than Pennsylvania.

The impact of the problem is even more devastating in rural areas, the study said, and Lehigh County has more than double the national average of 2.5 deaths per 100,000 people. The number of drug deaths in rural counties rose 42 percent in 2018, compared with 34 percent in urban counties, the CDC said. This is despite Pennsylvania having less than 4 percent of its population, but it was a first for the state in terms of drug overdose deaths in the first half of 2018.

Some states saw an increase in overdose deaths, while others were either stable or even in sharp decline. Some states, such as New York, New Jersey and California, have been particularly hard hit by the wave of drug deaths. In Pennsylvania, the death toll is rising in some parts of the state, while it has remained stable or even decreased in western areas.

Pennsylvania’s age-adjusted drug overdose rate, a measure of the number of overdose deaths per 100,000 people, is the same as it has been in the past three years, though it is rising in line with a nationwide trend. Pennsylvania has the second-highest age-adjusted drug overdose rate in the nation, behind only West Virginia and Ohio.

Of these, 78.2% were overdoses under known drug classifications and 21.8% were unclassified drug overdoses. Further research found that opioid-related deaths accounted for 71.8% of deaths per 100,000 Pennsylvania residents. The death rate from opioid overdoses was similarly high across the state, with the exception of Allegheny County, a manufacturing district with a higher overdose death rate than the rest of the country.

Heroin was the most commonly identified drug, for information about a heroin addiction treatment center in Pennsylvania click on the link or call an addiction helpline.

The increase in overdoses, which was already underway when COVID-19 hit the region, said the pandemic was exacerbating the problem, making people with addiction problems more likely to take drugs, take overdoses and die. While the initial increase in overdose deaths in 1995 was fueled by prescription opioids, heroin and fentanyl – substances that are usually manufactured illegally – have been the main drivers in recent years. Heroin has become more available and cheaper, and the basis for drug overdose deaths has been created, which has led to the shift from prescription drugs to heroin or synthetic opioids. By contrast, the death rate from other illegal drugs, such as cocaine and methamphetamine, has remained virtually the same, while these two drugs and opioids have caused opioids – especially synthetic opioids – to drive up overdose and deaths overall.

At the same time, drug overdoses are increasingly seen as a cause of smoking and drinking deaths, which tend to increase during economic downturns, the study team said. Deaths from drug overdoses have spread across the country, according to a recent study that also examines deaths from suicide and alcohol.

While the data show a significant increase in overdose deaths over the past five years, particularly in western Pennsylvania counties, the report notes that overdose statistics alone cannot necessarily confirm the trend. However, the data are likely to be underestimated, as the majority of overdoses – opioids in the past – are linked to illegal fentanyl as the main cause of these deaths. To get assistance from an addiction treatment center contact Couples Rehabs, they help couples as well as individuals with substance abuse.

Parallel to the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic, parts of Pennsylvania have seen an increase in drug overdose deaths, particularly in western Pennsylvania. The report said 2,146 people died of drug overdoses in Pennsylvania in 2018, followed by 3,388 deaths in May, the highest number since 2015, when the federal government began collecting data. Drug overdose deaths were similar in 2019, but deaths from fentanyl and similar molecules increased by 88% over the year.

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Release ID: 88996243