Close X
Saturday, November 30, 2024
ADVT 
National

More Than Half Of Fatal Overdoses Involved People Who Were Mentally Ill: Coroner

The Canadian Press, 27 Sep, 2018 06:34 PM
    VANCOUVER — The BC Coroners Service says completed investigations of 872 overdose fatalities show more than half of those who died had been diagnosed with a mental health disorder or had evidence of being mentally ill.
     
     
    The service says the investigations represent about a third of the 2,545 overdose deaths in 2016 and 2017.
     
     
    It says more than two-thirds of those who fatally overdosed used drugs alone and 45 per cent of them had reported pain-related issues.
     
     
    It said 63 per cent of the deaths occurred in homes, but that number shot to 74 per cent in the Fraser Health authority, the largest of the six health regions that serve the province.
     
     
    The report says most of those who died were men between the ages of 30 and 49 but women were more likely to use injection as a way to consume drugs versus smoking, snorting or ingesting them.
     
     
    It says illicit fentanyl was the most commonly detected street drug, especially in deaths among those aged 15 to 29.
     
     
    The service has recorded over 3,400 deaths since January 2016 but says the number of overdose fatalities decreased by 27 per cent this August compared with July.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Delta Police Say 7 Men, Including Red Scorpion Members, Accused In Drug Ring

    Delta Police Say 7 Men, Including Red Scorpion Members, Accused In Drug Ring
     Police say 94 charges have been laid, many against suspected gang members, after police smashed a ring that supplied drugs in south Delta and Vancouver.

    Delta Police Say 7 Men, Including Red Scorpion Members, Accused In Drug Ring

    Hedley Frontman Jacob Hoggard Has Sex Offences Case Put Over To September

    Hedley Frontman Jacob Hoggard Has Sex Offences Case Put Over To September
    TORONTO — The case of Hedley frontman Jacob Hoggard, who faces three sex-related charges, was put over to September after a brief hearing in Toronto on Wednesday.

    Hedley Frontman Jacob Hoggard Has Sex Offences Case Put Over To September

    Toronto Police Warn Of Dangerous Narcotics After 7 Fatal Overdoses Since Aug. 2

    Toronto Police Warn Of Dangerous Narcotics After 7 Fatal Overdoses Since Aug. 2
    Toronto police are warning about a batch of dangerous narcotics being sold downtown after seven overdose deaths in the city since Aug. 2.

    Toronto Police Warn Of Dangerous Narcotics After 7 Fatal Overdoses Since Aug. 2

    Woman Has Finger Ripped Off At West Edmonton Mall Waterslide

    Woman Has Finger Ripped Off At West Edmonton Mall Waterslide
    SASKATOON — A Saskatchewan woman says she lost a finger after her ring got caught on a waterslide at one of the largest malls in North America.

    Woman Has Finger Ripped Off At West Edmonton Mall Waterslide

    Smoke Gets In Their Eyes; Alberta, Prairies, Feel The Effects Of B.C.'s Fires

    Smoke Gets In Their Eyes; Alberta, Prairies, Feel The Effects Of B.C.'s Fires
    EDMONTON — Day has turned to night in Edmonton and many parts of Alberta as smoke from forest fires in British Columbia continues to roll into the province.

    Smoke Gets In Their Eyes; Alberta, Prairies, Feel The Effects Of B.C.'s Fires

    Crown Appealing Sentence For Winnipeg Man Ronald Siwicki Who Left Mother To Die On The Floor

    Crown Appealing Sentence For Winnipeg Man Ronald Siwicki Who Left Mother To Die On The Floor
    WINNIPEG — Crown prosecutors are appealing the sentence of a man who left his 89-year-old mother on the floor of their home for several weeks until she died.

    Crown Appealing Sentence For Winnipeg Man Ronald Siwicki Who Left Mother To Die On The Floor