“Drug overdose deaths among women ages 30 to 64 are soaring, according to a new CDC analysis of data from 1999 to 2017. Here’s a look at the findings:
SOURCE: STAT | Morning Rounds
“There seems be an attractive quality to things that are ostensibly unhealthy or dangerous.” Alisusha/Shutterstock.com
“Each new year, people vow to put an end to self-destructive habits like smoking, overeating or overspending.
“And how many times have we learned of someone – a celebrity, a friend or a loved one – who committed some self-destructive act that seemed to defy explanation? Think of the criminal who leaves a trail of evidence, perhaps with the hope of getting caught, or the politician who wins an election, only to start sexting someone likely to expose him.
“Why do they do it?”
Click here to continue reading this Conversation article about the nature of destructive behaviors.
PHOTO: Center on Addiction.org
“THE FINAL TRAP of addiction is laid when you muster the courage to stop. You may not even realize you are physically dependent until you experience withdrawal for the first time.
“There might be crippling pain, vomiting, insomnia, spasms, hot and cold flashes, goosebumps, congestion and tears. All this on top of debilitating anxiety and depression.
“You might feel like you’re having the worst flu of your life, or like a demon is crawling out of your skin.
“This misery could last for weeks.
“Dying from withdrawal is uncommon, but it doesn’t feel that way at the time. These harsh symptoms can make quitting seem impossible.”
Click here to read and experience the “A visual journey through addiction” at The New York Times
Each week the Office of the Secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Aging releases a Friday newsletter with information relevant to activities, issues and events for older Pennsylvanians and persons with disabilities across the Commonwealth..
Click here download the newsletter as a .pdf file.
“More and more older Pennsylvanians are hospitalized for heroin overdoses, according to a state report released Wednesday.” (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)
by Binghui Huang, Contact Reporter of The Morning Call
“A survey released Wednesday shows a troubling rise in the number of Pennsylvanians 55 and older being hospitalized for heroin overdoses, an increase that several public health officials linked to the deadly opioid epidemic sweeping the state.
“But, they cautioned, additional study needs to be done to explain why more older adults are resorting to heroin.
“According to the survey by the Pennsylvania Health Care Cost Containment Council, the heroin overdose hospitalization rate among those 55 and older increased 36 percent from 2016 to 2017, the greatest increase of any age group.”
Click here to read this Morning Call article in its entirety.
“The porn industry has long placed an emphasis on young girls. Reuters/Russell Boyce”
“A federal appeals court judge just made it a lot easier for the pornography industry to abuse and exploit children for profit.
“The Aug. 3 legal decision, which has received far less media attention that it deserves, represents the most significant blow to opponents of child porn in decades. We believe it could lead to a sharp increase in the number of underage performers being exploited due to the removal of legal oversight and penalties for uploading or distributing images that feature minors.
“We’ve been studying the business of porn for years, as scholars, advocates and experts in legal battles. In fact, we provided expert testimony in 2013 in a related court case and endured two hours of grilling from the judge and porn industry lawyers.
“The industry is now celebrating its landmark victory.”
Click here to read this article in its entirety at The Conversation.
The Secretary opens this week’s Wrap-Up with discussion about grandparents coping with children affected by the opioid crisis … their grandchildren.
She and the Governor the governor met with “several area grandparents who have, quite unexpectedly and very unceremoniously, found themselves parenting for the second time around as a direct result of the opioid epidemic. An estimated 82,000 grandparents are the sole caregivers for nearly 89,000 grandchildren in Pennsylvania, and that number is increasing across the commonwealth due to the opioid crisis.”
Each week the Office of the Secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Aging releases a Friday newsletter with information relevant to activities, issues and events for older Pennsylvanians and persons with disabilities across the Commonwealth.
Click here download the newsletter as a .pdf file.
“A construction worker atop scaffolding next to the Southeast Expressway.” – JONATHAN WIGGS\GLOBE STAFF
By Felice J. Freyer
“A Massachusetts study released Wednesday sheds light on an overlooked factor driving the opioid crisis: on-the-job injuries.
“The report found that construction workers, farmers, fishermen, and others employed in workplaces where injury is common die of opioid overdoses at rates five or six times greater than the average worker.
“Having little job security or sick pay — as is often the case in high-injury occupations — was also linked to higher rates of overdose deaths, according to the study by the state Department of Public Health.”
As the US continues to grapple with a deadly opioid crisis, a growing number of experts are concerned that overdose deaths are masking a larger suicide crisis.
The background is this: Suicide rates in the US rose 30% between 2000 and 2016, according to estimates. But the real numbers are undoubtedly higher, partly because of the opioid epidemic.
According to a recent study, suicide by drug overdose is “profoundly underreported” in the US. On top of that, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder affect more than half of people with drug use disorders.
Here’s the thing: The official numbers say that less than 4% of the 44,000 fatal opioid overdoses in 2016 were suicides. However, experts say that data from teen deaths points to a much higher suicide rate — perhaps 13.5% of all opioid deaths. One addiction expert put it like this: “We should be very concerned that many overdoses are unrecognized suicide attempts.”
The reason this matters, as a mental health and suicide expert described, is that if people were more aware of the overlap, focusing on treating some drug users for depression would offer them a better chance of getting off drugs and not dying.
SOURCE: BuzzFeedNews
