Youth overdose deaths skyrocketing nationwide amid pandemic

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – Drug overdoses in our youth have been on the rise over the last few years, but since the pandemic, those numbers have skyrocketed. It’s a concerning trend Lincoln’s CenterPointe is seeing.

In 2019, there were 4,700 total youth overdoses nationwide, 50% of those overdoses stemmed from opioids.

“We are seeing an increase in youth overdoses, a lot of that we kind of believe are due to COVID still lingering,” Alyssa Maxwell, a crisis response therapist with CenterPointe said.

Between pandemic-related changes, social media, and the accessibility of drugs, overdoses are more common than ever before. Over a five-year period, American youth lost 1.2 million years of life to overdoses, according to a study.

CenterPointe says education and normalization are needed to understand what’s truly going on.

“The more we turn a blind eye or the more we’re surprised by it, I think our reaction times and our planning are less effective. If we can, not normalize it as it’s going to continue to happen and we should let it happen, but normalize it as this is the reality of the situation our youth are facing,” Maxwell said.

CenterPointe says overdoses have become more deadly which is one of their biggest concerns moving forward. They said now is the time to watch for warning signs your loved one could be using.

Things like changes to their personality characteristics, school grades dropping, friend groups changing, loss of money, and just overall mood are things to look for.

If you notice something’s off, it’s important to bring awareness to it right away, and not wait.

“The best thing you can do is do pre-intervention, so the earlier you can have those conversations about drugs, the effects of drugs and alcohol.”

For more information on CenterPointe or the resources they offer, click HERE.