Skip to main content

Non-Substance-Related Mental Health Disorders Commonly Seen in Overdose Decedents

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Aug 30, 2024.

By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Aug. 30, 2024 -- More than one in five people who died of drug overdose in 2022 (21.9 percent) had a reported non-substance-related mental health disorder (MHD), according to research published in the Aug. 29 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Amanda T. Dinwiddie, M.P.H., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues used data from the CDC State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System to describe characteristics of persons in 43 states and the District of Columbia who died of unintentional or undetermined-intent drug overdose and had any MHD.

The researchers found that in 2022, 21.9 percent of persons who died of drug overdose had a reported MHD, including most frequently depressive (12.9 percent), anxiety (9.4 percent), and bipolar (5.9 percent) disorders. Eight in 10 overdose deaths involved opioids, primarily illegally manufactured fen­tanyls. Compared with those without an MHD, higher proportions of deaths among decedents with an MHD involved antidepressants and benzodiazepines (no MHD: 3.3 and 8.5 percent, respectively; with MHD: 9.7 and 15.3 percent, respectively). Nearly one fourth of decedents with an MHD had at least one recent (within one month of death) potential opportunity for intervention (e.g., about one in 10 were undergoing substance use disorder treatment and one in 10 visited an emergency department or urgent care facility).

"Expanding efforts to identify and address co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders (e.g., integrated screening and treatment) and strengthen treatment retention and harm reduction services could save lives," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted August 2024

Read this next

Pandemic Tied to Changes in Youth Mental Health

THURSDAY, Aug. 29, 2024 -- The early years of the COVID-19 pandemic were associated with minor, mostly positive changes in youth mental health overall, according to a study...

Sensory Disabilities Tied to Worse Subsequent Mental Health in Seniors

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 28, 2024 -- For older adults, having greater numbers of sensory disabilities is associated with worse subsequent mental health, according to a study published...

Chronic Diabetes Complications Bidirectionally Linked to Mental Health Disorders

WEDNESDAY, Aug. 28, 2024 -- There is a consistent, bidirectional association between chronic diabetes complications (CDCs) and mental health disorders (MHDs), according to a study...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.