Mary Alice Reporting –
Results have been released related to drug overdose deaths and suicides in 2023.
Tuscarawas County Coroner Jeff Cameron notes that information was delayed due to the need for toxicology and autopsy report completions.
The past year saw 14 overdoses deaths in the county.
“For the last three years, we’ve had decreasing overdose deaths each year since our high mark of 2020, when we had thirty overdose deaths.”
Synthetic opioids are still the trending factor when it comes to overdoses.
Cameron says that for suicides, 2023, saw 13 in the county, which is comparable to the past five years, with 2022 seeing 17 suicides.
“I think it’s multi factorial. I think there’ certainly a sense of isolation and loneliness, there’s maybe less government dollars aimed at treating suicide prevention, there’s more availability to firearms, and there’s social media pressures that seem to mount every year.”
The majority of cases were male, and Cameron points out that men are more likely to an irreversible method for suicide, whereas women, historically, have used suicide methods that are more treatable or reversible.
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