Suicides, alcohol, drugs: Pandemic could result in 75,000 ‘deaths of despair,’ study says

Isolation, unemployment and fear brought on by the coronavirus could result in 75,000 “deaths of despair” years after the worst of the pandemic is over, a new study suggests.

Deaths of despair include suicide and those related to drug or alcohol abuse, CBS News reported. A new study from Well Being Trust indicated deaths of despair have increased over the last decade, and could still increase over the next 10 years as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, according to the organization’s report.

The number of deaths of despair could range between 27,000 and 154,000 from 2020 to 2029, depending on the rate of economic recovery, Well Being Trust reported.

Well Being Trust attributes a rise in deaths of despair to multiple factors— essentially collateral damage from the coronavirus — including mandated social isolation, high rates of unemployment and uncertainty about how or when the pandemic will end, according to the report. The organization modeled its predictions based on similar situations in the past, such as the Great Recession of 2008, the report said.

“Unemployment during the Great Recession was associated with an increase in suicide deaths and drug overdose deaths,” Well Being Trust reported.

A recent study indicated that a 1%increase in unemployment resulted in an increase of drug-related deaths by 3.3%, according to Well Being Trust. Nearly one-fifth of the U.S. workforce filed for unemployment benefits between March 15 and April 30, 2020, the organization reported.

“We already had a major problem on our hands,” Dr. Benjamin F. Miller, Well Being Trust’s chief strategy officer, said, according to USA Today. “Now people are disconnected and lonely with a level of uncertainty, fear and dread.”

The effects of the pandemic will linger long after outbreaks are contained, as people may be developing habits, like drinking during the day, that can be hard to break after stay-at-home orders end, CBS reported.

After state and local governments imposed stay-at-home and shelter-in-place orders, alcohol sales spiked, according to USA Today. More people are calling addiction treatment centers, especially in hard-hit regions, USA Today reported.

Deaths of despair have also contributed to a drop in life expectancy for American men, according to CBS. The average lifespan for men fell by four months between 2014 and 2017 to 76.1 years, CBS reported.

State and local governments have the power to change this outcome, as this is only a projection, according to CNN. Well Being Trust suggested a number of solutions local and state governments should consider to address the issue, including:

• “Providing meaningful work to those who are unemployed”

• Supporting “small non-profit organizations, faith communities, and community solutions...to get people connected to their neighbors”

• Creating teams to “test, track, trace, and treat patients suffering from mental health and substance use disorders,” as is done for people infected with COVID-19

• Informing people about the impacts of mental health, “ways people can get help, and what to expect from the pandemic”

• Implementing healthcare policies that “better integrate mental health and addiction services”

• Supporting “creative opportunities for care delivered at home, virtually or in-person”

“We can change the numbers — the deaths have not happened yet,” Miller told CNN.