John Minchillo/AP Photos
Drug overdose deaths hit record levels last year with more than 81,000 fatalities, according to the CDC.
Fentanyl, involved in most of the deaths, is now sweeping the western US with a 98% rise in 10 states.
The synthetic opioid is 100 times more potent than morphine and 50 times more than heroin.
US drug overdose deaths hit record levels last year with more than 81,000 fatalities, according to the CDC. Fentanyl was involved in almost all of them and the dangerous drug is now sweeping the western states, agitated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) told Insider: Fentanyl has been found mixed with many other drugs. People who buy drugs such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, and MDMA are frequently not aware that these may be laced with fentanyl.
Americans mental health needs grow dramatically amid pandemic icatholic.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from icatholic.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Mar 9, 2021 catholic news service
A mother and daughter are seen in their Grand Rapids, Mich., home March 2, 2021, amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has taken an emotional toll on Americans. Mental health professionals report they are getting more requests for assistance from people feeling helpless and experiencing anxiety and depression. (Credit: Emily Elconin/Reuters via CNS.)
The coronavirus pandemic has taken an emotional toll on Americans, with mental health professionals reporting they are getting more requests for assistance from people feeling helpless and experiencing anxiety and depression.
CLEVELAND The coronavirus pandemic has taken an emotional toll on Americans, with mental health professionals reporting they are getting more requests for assistance from people feeling helpless and experiencing anxiety and depression.
According to a Kaiser Family Foundation
poll, 53 percent of U.S. adults reported that their mental health had been negatively impacted by the virus.
Census Bureau data in December revealed that U.S. mental health problems have reached all-time highs, with almost half of Americans now showing signs of clinical anxiety or depression.
The CDC also reported that U.S. hospitals saw a 31% increase in the proportion of mental health emergency visits for adolescents ages 12 to 17 from April to October 2020.
Access to mental health services is a growing problem: 54% of behavioral health organizations reported they have had to close programs while 65% have had to cancel, reschedule, or turn away patients in need. At the same time, demand for mental health services is continuing to rise.
Americans’ mental health needs grow dramatically amid pandemic
Monica Palmer, senior director of Clinical and Legal Services and Aimee Ryan, director of Social Work, at Catholic Charities in Oklahoma City, illustrate how they provide in-person counseling amid the coronavirus pandemic in this undated photo. (CNS photo/courtesy Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Oklahoma City)
Monica Palmer, senior director of Clinical and Legal Services and Aimee Ryan, director of Social Work, at Catholic Charities in Oklahoma City, illustrate how they provide in-person counseling amid the coronavirus pandemic in this undated photo. (CNS photo/courtesy Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Oklahoma City)
By Dennis Sadowski