Increased Drug-Related Visits to Emergency Departments

From 1999 to 2000, drug-related visits to emergency departments (EDs) increased 20% among U.S. patients aged 12-17, and increased 13% among patients aged 18-25, according to a recent survey. ED visits related to Ecstasy and other so-called "club drugs” in particular soared during that year, with Ecstasy alone accounting for an increase of 58%. In fact, emergency department visits involving the drug Ecstasy (MDMA) rose from 253 visits in 1994 to 4,511 in 2000.
The survey, called the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN), was conducted by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). According to the survey, the most frequently cited motives for taking drugs were dependence (36%) and suicide (32%), while the most common reason for contacting the emergency department was overdose (44%). Between 1999 and 2000, emergency department visits involving patients seeking detoxification increased 24%. However, during the same period, some metropolitan areas experienced a decrease in drug-related ED visits. These include Baltimore (19% decrease) and San Francisco (12% decrease).

"We use DAWN to help pinpoint regional drug epidemics in the making and prepare communities to address the problem,” explained Joseph H. Autry III, M.D., acting SAMHSA administrator. "SAMHSA Targeted Capacity Expansion grants are available to help mayors and other town and county officials put in place effective treatment services for emerging drug epidemics or related public health problems, including HIV/AIDS, at the earliest possible stages.” The DAWN report is available on SAMHSA's website.




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