Prescription Drug Overdose Deaths Among Young People on the Rise
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that while the percentage of children and teenagers who die due to accidents have decreased, the same trend does not hold true for those who die due to prescription drug overdose.
Accidental poisoning in children aged 19 years old and younger have increased by 80 percent from 2000 to 2009. In 2009 alone, there were 824 deaths due to accidental poisoning, and deaths due to prescription drug overdose, especially among older teenagers, have become a major cause for concern.
Around half of recent deaths were attributed to prescription drug overdose among young people aged 15 to 19 years old. CDC officials commented that there is a growing trend of prescription drug use among young teens, as these drugs, which are usually prescribed to parents, are easily accessible and can be sourced from their own homes.
They shared further that prescription pills seem to be replacing marijuana as an escape for young people.
The CDC report, however, also had rather comforting news to share: the death rate for children aged 19 and younger has actually decreased by 30 percent from 2000 to 2009. The number of deaths in this age group went down to 9,100 from 12,400. This decrease as attributed to a corresponding decrease in the number of traffic fatalities among young people.
According to the CDC, there was a 42 percent drop in deaths due to traffic accidents among children, although accidents in general is still the number one cause of death among children aged 1 to 19.
Tags: prescription drug abuse, prescription drug deaths, prescription drug overdose
