What’s Killing White Women in the USA?

Historically, white women in the United States have enjoyed relatively low mortality rates, but that is quickly changing. According to a report in Bloomberg Business, research by the Urban Institute indicates a sharp spike in mortality for white women, while other ethnic/gender groups have shown overall mortality declines.

The article states:

“Part of the jump in the death rate for whites is explained by the epidemic of prescription painkiller abuse and overdoses that disproportionately affected whites. But that accounts for only half the total increase, according to the report. Other causes of death on the rise include suicide and respiratory disease. Some declined, including traffic deaths, homicides, and the cancers most closely linked to smoking.”

This comes to no surprise to us at Cliffside Malibu, “We have seen a substantial increase in the number of people seeking treatment for prescription drug abuse, especially among middle aged, white women. Prescription drug addiction is quickly becoming our greatest concern among addicts, after alcohol abuse.”

While vocal debates about marijuana continue around the nation, women in particular continue to silently die from accidental prescription drug overdoses. The report continues:

“We don’t have enough evidence to tell whether the increase is a temporary one linked to painkiller abuse or if it’s a long-term shift. The authors cite examples of other short-term spikes in mortality. Deaths increased for black women in the U.S. during the crack epidemic. For Russian men, death rates linked to alcoholism are still high but appear to be declining.”

Whether mortality rates for white women in the United States continue to change or not, there is ample evidence that prescription drug abuse is a tremendous problem in this nation, with productivity, families, and lives on the line. More must be done to stem the tide of prescription drug abuse.

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