From the New York Times. In Shadow of Pandemic, U.S. Drug Overdose Deaths Resurge to Record By Josh Katz, Abby Goodnough and Margot Sanger-Katz Drug deaths in America, which fell for the first time in 25 years in 2018, rose to record numbers in 2019 and are continuing to climb, a resurgence that is being complicated and perhaps worsened by the […]
Spotlight
988 to Be National Suicide Hotline
From CNN. FCC approves 988 to be 3-digit number for national suicide hotline starting in 2022 By Veronica Stracqualursi In two years, individuals in suicidal crisis seeking help will have a number that’s easy to remember and quick to dial to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. At its July open meeting Thursday, the Federal Communications […]
SAMHSA’s New Vaping Guide
Reducing Vaping Among Youth and Young Adults This guide supports health care providers, systems, and communities seeking to prevent vaping. It describes relevant research findings, examines emerging and best practices, identifies knowledge gaps and implementation challenges, and offers useful resources. July 2020
Pandemic’s Death Toll
From Time The Difficulty Of Counting the COVID-19 Pandemic’s Full Death Toll by Markian Hawryluk Sara Wittner had seemingly gotten her life back under control. After a December relapse in her battle with drug addiction, the 32-year-old completed a 30-day detox program and started taking a monthly injection to block her cravings for opioids. She […]
New Deadly Synthetic Opioid
From HealthDay ‘Iso,’ a Deadly New Synthetic Opioid, Has Hit American Streets by Dennis Thompson A new synthetic opioid as powerful as fentanyl is causing overdose deaths at an ever-increasing rate, experts warn. What’s worse, the designer drug is legal in most places in the United States. Isotonitazene — commonly referred to as “iso” […]
Treatment Centers Risk Closing
From NPR A New Addiction Crisis: Treatment Centers Face Financial Collapse by Yuki Noguchi Fewer patients in recent months have been showing up for drug and alcohol treatment at REACH Health Services in Baltimore. But Dr. Yngvild Olsen, the medical director there, suspects it’s not for good reasons: Some have likely relapsed or delayed drug and […]
Black Youth & Suicide
Growing Crisis: Suicide Death Rate, Attempts and Injuries among Black Youth Produced by the Central East Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) An infographic that illustrates suicide in African American youth. Sections include: Recent Findings, The Challenge What do we know? (key risk factors) What can we do? Download the infographic.
Suicide Prevention
The Surgeon General Releases Call to Action to Implement the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention This new report outlines the actions that communities and individuals can take to reduce the rates of suicide and help improve resilience. Suicide Prevention Resource Guide Produced by the Central East Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) This guide is intended […]
MD Overdose Deaths Rise
From the Washington Post. Overdose deaths in Maryland climb amid pandemic, prompting new approach by Erin Cox After a year of declines, overdose deaths in Maryland climbed by 2.6 percent during the first three months of 2020 compared with the same period last year, preliminary data released this week shows. The reversal troubles public health officials, who suspect […]
Designer Opioid Not Yet Illegal
From USA Today New designer opioid linked to overdose deaths in Ohio, Illinois and Indiana by Terry DeMio A new synthetic opiate may be contributing to the addiction crisis, showing signs of penetrating new markets, according to those who have followed it. Isotonitazene has been detected in the blood of people who died of overdoses in Illinois and Indiana, […]