Disease of despair

A disease of despair is one of three classes of behavior-related medical conditions that increase in groups of people who experience despair due to a sense that their long-term social and economic prospects are bleak. The three disease types are drug overdose (including alcohol overdose), suicide, and alcoholic liver disease.

Diseases of despair, and the resulting deaths of despair, are high in the Appalachian region^[1] of the United States, especially in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Delaware.^[2] The prevalence increased markedly during the first decades of the 21st century, especially among middle-aged and older working class White Americans starting in 2010, followed by an increase in mortality for Hispanic Americans in 2011 and African Americans in 2014.^[3] It gained media attention because of its connection to the opioid epidemic.^[1] For 2018, some 158,000 U.S. citizens died from these causes, compared to 65,000 in 1995.^[4]

Deaths of despair have increased sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic and associated recession, with a 10% to 60% increase above pre-pandemic levels.^[5] Life expectancy in the United States declined further to 76.4 years in 2021, with the main drivers being the COVID-19 pandemic along with deaths from drug overdoses, suicides and liver disease.^[6]

^ ^a ^b Cunningham PW (October 30, 2017). "Appalachian death from drug overdoses far outpace nation's". The Washington Post.
^ Saplakogu, Yasemin (November 2020). "'Diseases of despair' on the rise across the US". Livescience.
^ Achenbach J (November 26, 2019). "'There's something terribly wrong': Americans are dying young at alarming rates". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
^ Case A, Deaton A (April 14, 2020). "American capitalism is failing Trump's base as white working-class 'deaths of despair' rise". NBC News. Retrieved April 15, 2020.
^ Fottrell Q (January 5, 2021). "'Deaths of despair' during COVID-19 have risen significantly in 2020, new research says". MarketWatch. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
^ Noguchi, Yuki (December 22, 2022). "American life expectancy is now at its lowest in nearly two decades". NPR. Retrieved December 27, 2022. The new numbers also speak to the acute mental health crisis that's run parallel to the pandemic: Deaths from drug overdoses reached over 106,000 last year — another major factor reducing life expectancy, according to the second CDC analysis released on Thursday. Deaths by suicide and from liver disease, or cirrhosis, caused by alcohol also increased — shortening the average American life span.

[:6-1] Cunningham PW (October 30, 2017). "Appalachian death from drug overdoses far outpace nation's". The Washington Post.

[2] Saplakogu, Yasemin (November 2020). "'Diseases of despair' on the rise across the US". Livescience.

[3] Achenbach J (November 26, 2019). "'There's something terribly wrong': Americans are dying young at alarming rates". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 2, 2019. Retrieved December 18, 2019.

[4] Case A, Deaton A (April 14, 2020). "American capitalism is failing Trump's base as white working-class 'deaths of despair' rise". NBC News. Retrieved April 15, 2020.

[5] Fottrell Q (January 5, 2021). "'Deaths of despair' during COVID-19 have risen significantly in 2020, new research says". MarketWatch. Retrieved January 5, 2021.

[6] Noguchi, Yuki (December 22, 2022). "American life expectancy is now at its lowest in nearly two decades". NPR. Retrieved December 27, 2022. The new numbers also speak to the acute mental health crisis that's run parallel to the pandemic: Deaths from drug overdoses reached over 106,000 last year — another major factor reducing life expectancy, according to the second CDC analysis released on Thursday. Deaths by suicide and from liver disease, or cirrhosis, caused by alcohol also increased — shortening the average American life span.

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