Nach Hurrikanen und Tropenstürmen nehmen drogenbedingte Todesfälle zu. Der größte relative Anstieg wurde bei Personen im Alter von 15 bis 29 Jahren beobachtet, bei denen jeder weitere Tag, an dem sie einem Hurrikan ausgesetzt waren, mit einem Anstieg der Sterberaten um 30 Prozent im Monat der Exposition einherging

Tropical cyclones, including hurricanes and tropical storms, are linked to increased rates of drug-related deaths up to three months after the storm passes—particularly in higher-income, White communities and among younger populations. A study of more than 30 years of data by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health points to an overlooked health impact of climate change: more active and severe storms.

The study is the first to quantify the association between tropical cyclone exposure and psychoactive drug–related deaths broadly and through a demographic and socioeconomic framing. Results are published in the journal JAMA Network Open(link is external and opens in a new window).

Acute Psychological Distress 
Hurricanes and other tropical cyclones can trigger acute psychological distress that leads to substance use as a coping mechanism. They can also disrupt access to health care and substance use treatment, which may be life-threatening for individuals with severe substance-related conditions.

“When we think of the destructive impact of a hurricane or tropical storm, we often think of flooded neighborhoods and deaths by drowning, but there are other hidden harms linked to these storms, such as increases in drug-related deaths. Tropical cyclones are traumatic and disruptive, and for some people, the stress and instability that follow may push them to use drugs and alcohol in dangerous and deadly ways,” says Raenita Spriggs, MPH, a Columbia Mailman School doctoral candidate and the study’s first author.

“Tropical cyclones, which have increased in strength, intensity, duration, and activity over recent decades, may exacerbate the ongoing crisis of drug overdoses. It is critically important that policymakers and public health authorities integrate substance use and mental health services into climate disaster preparedness and response planning,” says Robbie M. Parks, PhD, assistant professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia Mailman and the study’s senior author

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2845323