Drug poisoning statistics in the US

Note how prevalent psych drugs are as a danger to kids.

Information on drug poisoning suicide deaths in the US is not available at a very granular level. However, the following table¹ does give a breakdown of 2012 suicide drug poisoning deaths:

Method	No.	%
Other and unspecified drugs, medicaments and biological substances	3,632	54.0%
Other gases and vapours	1,003	14.9%
Anti-epileptic, sedative-hypnotic, anti-parkinsonism and psychotropic drugs, not elsewhere classified	969	14.4%
Narcotics and psychodysleptics [hallucinogens], not elsewhere classified	662	9.8%
Non-opioid analgesics, antipyretics and anti-rheumatics	160	2.4%
Organic solvents and halogenated hydrocarbons and their vapours	126	1.9%
Other and unspecified chemicals and noxious substances	78	1.2%
Alcohol	47	0.7%
Other drugs acting on the autonomic nervous system	42	0.6%
Pesticides	10	0.1%
Total	6,729

According to the CDC¹, 81% of intentional poisoning suicides were caused by drugs - both legal and illegal. The most commonly used drugs identified in drug-related suicides were psychoactive drugs, such as sedatives and antidepressants, followed by opiates and prescription pain medications¹. Self-harm poisoning was the leading cause of emergency department visits for intentional injury in 2010². In 2011, it was estimated by SAMHSA³ that attempted suicide led to 228,366 emergency department (ED) visits. Almost all involved a prescription drug or over-the-counter medication. It is worth noting that with only 5,465 actually succeeding in suicide using drugs, it means there were 42 ED visits for every successful suicide. Sobering odds of success, and there are probably lots of attempts that don’t even end up in hospital. Most patients attempting drug-related suicide had some form of follow-up after their ED visit, with the outcomes of their ED visits as follows:

• 49% were admitted for inpatient hospital care (18.3% to an intensive or critical care unit [ICU]), 9% to a psychiatric unit, and 22% to other units including combination psychiatric/detox units)
• 25% were transferred to another health care facility for specialist treatment
• 7% were referred to detox/treatment
• 15% treated and discharged to home

Evidence suggests that alcohol had been ingested in around a third of people who died by suicide, and in 29% of those admitted to ED departments. In nearly two thirds of cases more than one drug was involved. Pain relievers were found to be involved in 38% of drug-related suicide attempts. Narcotic pain relievers were involved in over a third of that number, and cetaminophen products were involved in just under a third. Benzodiazepines (anti-anxiety drugs) were found to be involved in 29.3% of drug - related suicide attempts. Alprazolam (Xanax) and clonazepam each accounted for about a third. Antidepressants appeared in 19.6% of visits. About half of those visits involved an SSRI antidepressant such as citalopram, sertraline, or fluoxetine. Trazodone, a SARI antidepressant, was involved in about a quarter. Antipsychotics, as a whole, appeared in 12.9% of visits, with the vast majority being the newer types of atypical anti-psychotics e.g. Quetiapine. The American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC)⁴ publishes data on phone calls they receive into their 55 centers which are designed to track the incidence of poison exposure (both intentional and unintentional) nationally. In 2012 they recorded 2,873 deaths by poisons (itself some way short of the figures provided by US Department of Health and Human Services for suicide alone), and the table below shows the drugs that appeared most frequently as the cause of death by poisoning. Top 25 substance categories associated with deaths reported by 55 U.S. Poison Centers 2012

Substance	No.	%
Sedative/hypnotics/antipsychotics	377	14.1%
Miscellaneous cardiovascular drugs	350	12.2%
Opioids	255	8.9%
Acetaminophen (paracetamol) in combination	183	6.4%
Miscellaneous stimulants and street drugs	176	6.1%
Acetaminophen (paracetamol) only	159	5.5%
Miscellaneous alcohols	145	5.0%
Miscellaneous antidepressants	126	4.4%
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors	89	3.1%
Miscellaneous antihistamines	69	2.4%
Tricyclic antidepressants	69	2.4%
Miscellaneous fumes/gases/vapors	67	2.3%
Acetylsalicylic acid	65	2.3%
Miscellaneous muscle relaxants	57	2.0%
Miscellaneous anticonvulsants	56	1.9%
Oral hypoglycemic	56	1.9%
Non-nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs	50	1.7%
Miscellaneous unknown drug	44	1.5%
Miscellaneous unknown drugs	44	1.5%
Miscellaneous chemicals	33	1.1%
Miscellaneous hormones and hormone antagonists	31	1.1%
Anticonvulsants: gamma aminobutyric acid & analogs	29	1.0%
Miscellaneous anticoagulants	23	0.8%
Miscellaneous diuretics	23	0.8%
Cannabinoids and analogs	20	0.7%
Miscellaneous hydrocarbons	19	0.7%

It should be noted that these percentages from their source do not add up to 100% as they are only the top 25 causes. It should also be noted that the above figures each represent the number of mentions in cause of death, not number of deaths. Any one fatality may have had exposure to more than one substance. Indeed, consistent with data from SAMHSA, the breakdown of drugs shown for many of the fatalities reported by AAPCC showed more than one drug. Sources

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System (WISQARS), fatal injuries report figures (http://webappa.cdc.gov/sasweb/ncipc/leadcaus10_us.html).
2. National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2010 Emergency Department Summary Tables (10 and 17) (www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/ahcd/nhamcs_emergency/2010_ed_web_tables.pdf). See also Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), Prescription Drug Overdose in the United States: Fact Sheet www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/overdose/facts.html.
3. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Office of Applied Studies. Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN): National estimates of drug-related emergency department visits for 2011, Table 22 (www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/DAWN2k11ED/DAWN2k11ED/DAWN2k11ED.pdf).
4. James B Mowry, PHARMD; Daniel A Spyker PHD, MD; Louis R Cantilena  JR, MD, PHD; J Elise Bailey MSPH; and Marsha Ford MD; 2012 Annual Report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers' National Poison Data System (NPDS): 30th Annual Report, Clinical Toxicology vol. 51 Oct 2013 (available from www.aapcc.org/annual-reports).