Suicide, Substance Abuse Deaths In Millennials At All-Time High 

Monday, June 17, 2019 at 9:07 AM

By Madelaine Braggs, 24/7 News Source

Alcohol, drug and suicide deaths in Indiana increased almost 200-percent from 1999 to 2017, according to a new study from the Trust for America's Health.

(Indianapolis, Ind.)  --  Deaths by suicide and substance abuse are at an all time high for millennials. 

John Auerbach president of Trust For America's Health says in Indiana, alcohol, drug and suicide deaths increased by nearly 200-percent from 1999 to 2017. 

"We see that there are 3,600 people who have lost their lives in the last year, for which we have data, as a result of alcohol, drugs or suicide," says Auerbach.

The Pain in the Nation report, found that between 2007 and 2017 drug deaths among 18-to-34-year-olds had more than doubled across the nation. 

By 2025, it's projected deaths by substance abuse and suicide in Indiana could increase another 13-percent. 

Auerbach says millennials are being particularly impacted by the opioid crisis, economic difficulties from growing up in a recession and a lack of comprehensive health care.  They face more stressors with less means of support. 

"Millenials are more likely to be coming out the military than other age groups. They carry enormous education debt, less likely to be married, less likely to live in the town that their families are in," explains Auerbach.

He says millennials, more likely to be involved with the courts or corrections, could benefit from substance abuse treatment instead of harsh sentencing. 

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