The Pain in the Nation: The Epidemics of Alcohol, Drug, and Suicide Deaths 2023 by Trust for America’s Health is an annual report highlighting data on deaths due to alcohol, drugs, and suicide from 2011 to 2021. This year’s edition contains a special feature on youth mental health and well-being, as well as policy recommendations focused on mental health and substance misuse prevention and early intervention.
An additional fact sheet for Hawaiʻi and a microsite containing an interactive map is also available.
Here are some highlights:
- Deaths from alcohol, drugs, and suicide in the US nearly doubled from 104,379 deaths in 2011 to 209,225 deaths in 2021 (pg.4).
- The combined age-adjusted death rate (drug-induced, alcohol-induced, and suicide) in the US increased by 11% between 2020 and 2021. Individually, these rates increased by 14%, 11%, and 4%, respectively (pg.1).
- Hawaiʻi observed a 2.4% decrease in its combined age-adjusted death rate. Suicide and alcohol-induced death rates increased by 5.8% and 2.3%, and drug-induced death rates decreased by 5.6% (pg.1).
- West Virginia had the highest age-adjusted death rates from alcohol, drugs, and suicide in 2021 (128.7 per 100,000). Hawaiʻi had the lowest (39.4 per 100,000) (pg.28).
- Suicide in the US increased 71% between 2010 and 2021 and is the second leading cause of death among youth ages 10 to 17 (pg. 12).
- Gay, lesbian, bisexual, and questioning US high school students were 3.7 times more likely to attempt suicide (pg. 10).
View the full report, Hawaiʻi factsheet, and microsite here.
