“Disease of Despair” Soars in America-Consumer Health News

Tuesday, November 10, 2020 (HealthDay News)-Americans were already suffering even before the coronavirus pandemic began: new studies show a dramatic increase in alcohol and substance abuse, suicidal ideation. Action is from 2009 to 2018.

Researchers call these conditions “disease of despair.”

“The causes of these conditions are not strictly medical, but rather seem to follow conditions of despair in people’s lives and communities,” explained research author Emily Brignone. She is a senior research scientist at Highmark Health in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Economic decline, wage stagnation, reduced community ties and unemployment are some of the factors she said could be associated with the illness of despair.

“Over the last decade, there has been a total increase in drug and alcohol misuse, suicidal ideation and behavioral diagnoses in men and women of all ages,” said Brignone.

Information on this study was collected long before COVID-19 began to spread nationwide. However, Brignone said the pandemic could exacerbate conditions associated with desperate illnesses such as unemployment, social isolation, health barriers and uncertainty.

“There is some evidence of COVID-19-related changes in despair illnesses, such as increased opioid overdose and an increase in the number of people reporting suicidal ideation, but the full scope of the effects of COVID-19 on illness. I don’t know, and I’ll be dying of despair over the years to come. “

The new survey included 12 million Americans insured by Highmark, a leading US-based health insurance company. The company’s target audience is concentrated in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware. According to researchers, these are states that have been disproportionately affected by the death of despair.

During the study, 1 in 20 people was diagnosed with a desperate illness.

The largest increase was especially seen in adolescents’ suicidal ideation and behavior. Suicidal ideation and behavior of people under the age of 18 increased by 287% between 2009 and 2018. Between the ages of 18 and 34, that percentage increased by 210%. Studies have shown that suicidal ideation and behavior increased by at least 70% in all other age groups.

“I don’t fully understand why this is happening. Some researchers point out changes in social structure and the rise of smartphones and social media. There are also questions about the role of bullying and sleep deprivation, but it’s easy. It’s not a complicated question. I’ll answer. “

Alcohol problems increased in all age groups except under the age of 18. The largest surge in alcohol abuse (59%) was seen in people between the ages of 55 and 74.

Brignone said many things can lead to increased alcohol abuse in later years, including increased health, pain, mental health concerns, and increased disconnections with family, friends, and neighbors. .. She also said that alcoholism and other desperate illnesses often occur together.

Older Americans (ages 55-74) also showed the largest increase in substance abuse, an increase of 172% during the study. The overall prevalence of substance-related diagnostics increased by 94%.

Researchers reported that men were almost 50% more likely to be diagnosed with a desperate illness than women.

“Death of illness and despair represents an urgent public health problem, and in some respects the COVID-19 pandemic may exacerbate the conditions that cause these problems,” Brignone said.

However, she added that preventive and early intervention efforts can make a difference.

“Access to quality, evidence-based physical and mental health care is an important impediment to the progression of these conditions and will save lives,” said Brignone. “It is also important to try to solve fundamental problems such as unemployment, income inequality and access to health care.”

The results of the survey were published online on November 9th. BMJ Open..

Benjamin Miller, chief strategy officer of the Wellbeing Trust, a national foundation for mental health and wellness, said the study was an action-inspiring phrase.

“Despair illnesses are caused by many factors, some of which our healthcare system can and cannot handle, but our system documents and follows up on despair illnesses. And I’m not ready to treat, “Miller said. ..

Access to care usually depends on having a particular diagnosis, which guides you to a particular course of treatment. For example, a person with alcohol problems may have alcohol-related health problems, but they also need counseling.

“In the case of a desperate illness, it’s much more complicated. You can’t rely on a single diagnosis,” he explained.

Miller also pointed out that many people are not diagnosed or even participate in treatment programs. Therefore, he said a new approach was needed to treat these types of conditions.

“How do you show where they are in schools, churches, neighborhoods, etc. Young adults will need different interventions than older adults,” he said.

Miller said it was also important to address the underlying issues that led to the illness of despair. For example, many people are now unemployed. A preventative strategy may be to get people back to work, and one way to do that would be to hire a lot of COVID-19 contact tracers. It will help deal with unemployment and will probably mitigate the effects of the pandemic.

More importantly, people just need to talk to each other.

“We need to consider how to accept difficult conversations about mental health and addiction. We need to know how to talk to each other and be empathetic and supportive,” Miller added.

For more information

For more information on suicide prevention National Institute of Mental Health..

Source: Dr. Emily Brignone, Senior Research Fellow at Highmark Health in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Benjamin Miller, PsyD, Chief Strategy Officer, Wellbeing Trust. BMJ Open, November 9, 2020, online