About The Study: As of 2022, the midlife mortality rates from deaths of despair (deaths from suicide, drug overdose, and alcoholic liver disease) among Black individuals were higher than rates among white individuals, and rates among American Indian or Alaska Native individuals remained higher than rates in the other groups. Rising inequalities in deaths of despair among American Indian or Alaska Native and Black individuals were largely attributable to disproportionate early mortality from drug- and alcohol-related causes, which increased leading up to and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Authors: Joseph Friedman, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the University of California, Los Angeles, is the corresponding author.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2024.0303)
