Across the USA the opioid crisis continues to affect millions of lives, with over a hundred thousand people dying due to drug overdoses each year. That number is continuing to rise, with young people especially becoming addicted a real problem nationwide.
What’s more, according to statistics, while the number of people suffering with addiction is rising, there are fewer people being prescribed medication and entering a rehab clinic to try and get clean and into recovery.
Both the number of young people abusing drugs and the number of people seeking treatment are on worrying trajectories, with the number of teenagers receiving burpenorphine prescriptions at treatment centres and hospitals falling by 45% in just five years between 2015 and 2020.
With the occurrence of the pandemic following those dates, it’s expected that those figures are now worse, with many experts now starting to call out the problem. Dr Andrew Terranella, an expert in the field of drug abuse at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said of the figures:
“In the context of rising rates of opioid-involved overdose deaths, these data really underscore the important work that still needs to be done to better understand the reasons for low prescribing.”
More is starting to be done about these alarming figures. President Joe Biden has removed a number of barriers that are believed to be preventing youngsters from getting the treatment they need, with every clinician now able to prescribe buprenorphone for opioid use disorder, which could open the door much further for people to get treatment from primary care clinics, rather than requiring to go through specific treatment programs.
What buprenorphine does is help ease cravings and withdrawal symptoms, which can help wean people off the substance, particularly when also receiving addiction treatment. The move will undoubtedly have a positive effect on the fight to end opioid addiction in the country among young people.
Interestingly, for those people aged above 20, the number of people receiving treatment for opioid addiction actually rose by 47%, which could be a sign of what is to come for teens following Biden’s report.
Terranella has also been quick to point out that it needs to be ensured that healthcare professionals have the training to roll out the treatment. He said:
“Lack of training and experience in residency and beyond certainly may play a role,”
“It’s important to ensure all pediatricians are comfortable in the treatment and management of substance use disorders.”
That also goes for all clinicians, while parents also need to be more involved in the support of children and reducing the stigma around drug addiction in order for the whole nation to see a downward trajcetory of those suffering.
