60% of Opioid Overdoses Linked to Chronic Pain

(Spring 2018) According to an analysis from HealthDay of the American Journal of Psychiatry, more than 60% of opioid overdose deaths involve people who suffered from chronic pain. In addition to chronic pain, many of them also dealt with depression or anxiety. The study examined the medical backgrounds of more than 13,000 people who died from an opioid overdose over a span of seven years (2001-2007). Researchers found more than half of the 13,000 had been previously diagnosed with chronic pain within the year they died.

One of the researchers, Dr. Mark Olfson, a professor of psychiatry at Columbia University Medical Center, believes offering substance abuse treatment in places that treat chronic pain and mental health problems could help to address these issues with high-risk patients.

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