The Steady Rise In Suicide Epidemic May Be Linked To The War On Drugs And Doctors

The Steady Rise In Suicide Epidemic May Be Linked To The War On Drugs And Doctors

                                             Alen J Salerian MD

§  Annual suicide rates have increased in USA from 10.1  in 2000 12.9 to 2014.

§  Annual suicide rates have decreased in major Western countries (Germany, England, Sweden) during the same period.

§  The suicide rate is expected to decrease consistent with the advances in psychiatry and effective preventive measures as observed in Europe.

§  Economic conditions and unemployment figures have not been possibly contributory to the steady rise in suicide epidemic.

§  The war on drugs and doctors have impacted a large percentage of Americans vulnerable to suicide (people with chronic pain and action) by dramatically reducing the accessibility and availability of both treatments and physicians.

§  In the last three decades some 24,000 doctors have been delicensed. Conservatively some 40,000 suicides have been caused by the war on drugs and doctors .

The War On Drugs And The Rising Tide Of Suicides

          The War On Drugs And

 The Rising Tide Of Suicides

    The suicide rates rose significantly in America in the last 15 years while they declined in England  Sweden and Germany during the same period. The annual suicide rate jumped from 10.2 per 100.000 people in 2000 to 12.9 in 2014.

    Neither England nor Germany and Sweden have declared war on drugs but we have. There are some 110 million Americans with chronic pain and millions with addiction. They are highly vulnerable to depression and suicide.

    The war on drugs has caused havoc for people with chronic pain and addiction by seriously limiting access to treatment and shrinking the number of  pain physicians and psychiatrists. Some 24,000 and possibly more physicians have been  delicensed.

   When my colleague Billy Hurwitz M.D. was shipped to prison in 2002, seven of his patients committed suicide. I lost as many patients when my practice was shut down in 2012.

    I'm not an epidemiologist but  it seems our irrational war on drugs and doctors has been deadly for thousands of Americans.

Vanishing Ashes Of 24,000 Physicians dr salerian poem

 Vanishing Ashes Of 24,000 Physicians

That very night
Vanishing ashes of 24,000 physicians

Do you feel 
The heat pulling me down
My eyes 
Brave cells

Rebelling

No longer trusting 

No longer believing  brain

No way cherished friends

Friends of reason and freedom

Let ashes of  friends

Vanish quietly

As if

Mountains oceans deserts and rocks

One star at a time

One mountain

One desert

One rock at a time

24,000 times

Shining stars gone

Never lived

Never learned goodness

Never slept 
With loving Angels

Let me go tonight

Let me join

Vanishing stars

No no way I could

I shall shout scratch

Singing

Never forget vanishing ashes of 24,000 physicians

Note:  Without due process 24,000 physicians silently fell victim in the war against drugs. quietly in America in the last two decades.

The War On Drugs And Doctors And The Collateral Damage: A Rising Suicide Epidemic and 24,000 Ruined Physicians

The War On Drugs And Doctors And The Collateral Damage: A Rising Suicide Epidemic and 24,000 Ruined Physicians

  The war on drugs and doctors is based upon flawed CDC statistics and reinforced by financial strangulation and defamation rendering physicans defenseless. This war also has been catastrophic for millions of Americans with chronic pain and mental illness unleashing  a rising  epidemic of suicides in the last 15 years. Furthermore some 24,000 good doctors have been ruined.

References:

1.     Grant BF, Stinson FS, Dawson DA, Chou P, Prevalence co-occurrence of substance use disorders and independent mood and anxiety disorders .Results from the National and Epidemiologic Survey on alcohol and related conditions. Archive Gen. psychiatry 61:807 – 16. 2004.

2.     Kakko J, Svanborg DK , Kreek MI, Hellig M (2003), One-year retention and social function after buprenorphine assisted  relapse prevention treatment for heroin dependence in Sweden: a randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet 261:662 – 8.

3.     Salerian AJ, Case studies of 17 patients, Journal Of Case Reports And Studies Volume 2 issue 5 2015.

4.     Salerian AJ, Discontinuation Of Opiate Treatment: A Retrospective Review Of 49 Patients. Journal of psychology and clinical psychiatry volume 2 issue 4 2015.

5.     Libby R, The criminalization of medicine, Krieger publication, 2002.

6.     Salerian AJ, Human errors may explain an epidemic of prescription pain medication overdose deaths, Journal of psychology and clinical psychiatry, January 2016.

7.     Institute of Medicine Report June 2012.

8.     Libby R, Treating Doctors As Drug Dealers, Policy Analysis June 16, 2005.

9.     Salerian AJ, The rising epidemic of suicides. In publication

10. Salerian AJ, Injury and deaths  upon practice closure: a review of four Washington DC physicians.

The Shrinking Pool Of Pain Physicians And The Rising Number Of Suicides: A Possible Link (2000 To 2014)*

§  # People in need of pain treatment: 110 million

§  # Physicians: 1.1 million

§  # Physicians with DEA license: 980,000

§  2000 # Physicians treating pain: 6000

§  2014 # Physicians treating pain: 6000

§  # Physicians under investigation every year: 600

§  % Pain physicians under investigation 12%

§  2000- 2014 # Pain physicians delicensed: 8400

§  2000 Suicide rate 10.2per 100.000

§  2014 Suicide rate of 12.9 per 100.000

 

References:

1.Institute of medicine report, June 2012.

2. Libby R, Treating doctors as drug dealers ,Policy Analysis June 16, 2005.

3. Libby R, The criminalization of medicine, Krieger publication, 2002.

*DEA does not provide  specific data of the annual and total number of physicians investigated or prosecuted. The above numbers are the best educated estimates based upon available information from diverse sources.