Deaths in the US from alcohol, drugs and suicide hit record high
From 43.9 to 46.6 deaths per 100,000 people in 2017, the national rate for deaths from alcohol, drugs and suicide rose (that’s a 6% increase). There is a pattern. Growth. We speak of an epidemic of heroin, yet we are not reporting the mental health component and the even more stigmatized suicide. How many more people, from talent to everyday moms, fathers and mothers must we lose? We have great mental health professionals. Can they pinpoint us in the right direction? Treatment is expensive. Very expensive. Can it be subsidized? Can we provide access to professionals on mobile? Is there a company out there getting results that we could scale?
Suicides rose 4 percent. Double the average annual over the previous decade. Think about that. If we were speaking about the economy, everyone would be excited. This should be an alarm, regardless of the economy. I’ts not the state. It’s not a city. It’s our culture. Its stress. It’s complicated. But we have to start somewhere.
We invite everyone to leave a comment, a remark, a question or even a thought provoking idea. We need action. We cannot stand still and look away from this devastating and quite dark quilt that may continue to encompass us until it’s grave. We commit at La Jolla Recovery to bring it to client’s attention and have a conversation about awareness and how it impacts us. How are you going to respond?
