|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
By Kary Deng
According to the University of New Hampshire, since 2016, opioid overdose deaths in rural America increased over 400 percent, with the hardest-hit communities in the United States.
For young people in these areas, the risk of opioid misuse and addiction can be multiplied by a mix of limited healthcare access and economic stress. Rural areas often have fewer healthcare providers and treatment centers, which makes both pain management and addiction treatment harder to access.
Many rural adolescents first encounter opioids through medical prescriptions after injuries or surgeries. In places where there are not that many doctors and follow-up care is rare, patients may receive larger or longer prescriptions for pain relief.
A JAMA Network Open cohort study of opioid-naive youths found that even a single short-term prescription was associated with a higher likelihood of persistent opioid use over the following year in a smaller high-risk subgroup of patients. When refills are difficult to monitor, or alternative treatments like physical therapy are not easily available, it is much easier for individuals to depend on these drugs.
Another major factor is economic strain. Many rural communities have experienced job loss in industries like farming, manufacturing, or mining. This environment can create a sense of limited opportunity and chronic stress. As a result, opioids can become a form of escape because they temporarily numb both physical and emotional pain. Opioids also protect individuals from dealing with the stress that their life presents them.
Even when someone recognizes a problem, getting help is also often more difficult in rural areas. Services that are often accessible in urban communities, such as treatment programs, addiction specialists, and mental health services, may be located hours away for rural residents. Transportation barriers and stigma in small communities where “everyone knows everyone” can also discourage people from seeking help.
Opioid addiction among rural youth is not caused by one single factor. It is the result of overlapping challenges like medical access, economic stress, geographic isolation, and limited mental health resources.
While opioids may enter a young person’s life through a legitimate prescription, the environment can shape whether it is safe treatment or dependency. This demonstrates the need to spread resources to rural communities to help decrease opioid addiction and overdoses there.
This article was written as part of a program to educate youth and others about Alameda County’s opioid crisis, prevention and treatment options. The program is funded by the Alameda County Behavioral Health Department and the grant is administered by Three Valleys Community Foundation.
