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Silent deaths: a commentary on new mortality data relating to volatile substance abuse in Great Britain

Silent deaths: a commentary on new mortality data relating to volatile substance abuse in Great... PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a commentary on new information from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on deaths caused by volatile substance abuse (VSA) in Great Britain which occurred between 2001 and 2016.Design/methodology/approachComparing the new study with previous mortality data, the authors consider the strengths and some limitations of the analysis provided by ONS.FindingsBy utilising a broader range of codes and collating additional information from death certificates, the new report provides a more comprehensive measure of VSA mortality than was previously available, showing increasing prevalence of deaths. The age profile of people dying is older than in previous studies. Most deaths were associated with inhalation of gases and almost three-quarters of deaths involved volatile substances alone.Practical implicationsUnderstanding VSA mortality is essential for service planning. It is important that we identify why so many people whose deaths are associated with VSA are not accessing treatment, with particular concern about treatment access for those who only use volatiles. Training to support drug and alcohol and other health service staff to respond to VSA is essential. In future reports, data to identify socioeconomic correlations of VSA deaths would enable targeted responses. Additionally, information on whether deaths occur in long term rather than episodic or one-off users could enable risk reduction education.Originality/valueThis paper shows how data on VSA deaths may inform for policy and service planning. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Drugs and Alcohol Today Emerald Publishing

Silent deaths: a commentary on new mortality data relating to volatile substance abuse in Great Britain

Leigh, Victoria; MacLean, Sarah
Drugs and Alcohol Today , Volume 19 (2): 11 – Jun 3, 2019
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References (8)

Publisher
Emerald Publishing
Copyright
Copyright © Emerald Group Publishing Limited
ISSN
1745-9265
DOI
10.1108/DAT-08-2018-0039
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide a commentary on new information from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) on deaths caused by volatile substance abuse (VSA) in Great Britain which occurred between 2001 and 2016.Design/methodology/approachComparing the new study with previous mortality data, the authors consider the strengths and some limitations of the analysis provided by ONS.FindingsBy utilising a broader range of codes and collating additional information from death certificates, the new report provides a more comprehensive measure of VSA mortality than was previously available, showing increasing prevalence of deaths. The age profile of people dying is older than in previous studies. Most deaths were associated with inhalation of gases and almost three-quarters of deaths involved volatile substances alone.Practical implicationsUnderstanding VSA mortality is essential for service planning. It is important that we identify why so many people whose deaths are associated with VSA are not accessing treatment, with particular concern about treatment access for those who only use volatiles. Training to support drug and alcohol and other health service staff to respond to VSA is essential. In future reports, data to identify socioeconomic correlations of VSA deaths would enable targeted responses. Additionally, information on whether deaths occur in long term rather than episodic or one-off users could enable risk reduction education.Originality/valueThis paper shows how data on VSA deaths may inform for policy and service planning.

Journal

Drugs and Alcohol Today – Emerald Publishing

Published: Jun 3, 2019

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