The number of fatal opioid overdoses and suicides is rising across the country, including Santa Clarita, resulting in the average life expectancy in the United States to decline for the third year in a row.

The average life expectancy in the U.S. began to drop in 2015, the first decline in 20 years, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The trend continued through 2016 and 2017, which makes it the longest downward trend since World War I and the 1918 flu pandemic, according to CDC officials.

Overall, the average life expectancy for the total U.S. population in 2017 was 78.6 years, down one-tenth of a percentage point from 2016. In total, life expectancy for Americans has fallen by approximately four months over the past three years, according to the CDC.

“The idea that a developed wealthy nation like ours has a declining life expectancy just doesn’t seem right,” said Robert Anderson, chief of mortality statistics at the CDC. “If you look at the other wealthy countries of the world, they’re not seeing the same thing.”

Officials cite the increasing numbers of opioid overdoses and suicides as the leading factors for the decline in the country’s average life expectancy.

“We’ve had a significant number of drug overdoses in Santa Clarita year after year ,” said Bob Sharits, program director for The Way Out Recovery SCV. “Fatal drug overdoses in Santa Clarita keep on happening.”

The most recent data from the CDC shows that the number of deaths caused by fentanyl, a synthetic opioid commonly mixed into drugs such as heroin, rose from 19,413 in 2016 to nearly 28,466 in 2017.

Fentanyl-related deaths also more than doubled between 2015 and 2016.

“Most of the people that I’ve talked to that are drug users or in recovery tell me that almost all the heroin that they get has some amount of either fentanyl or some other type of drug in it,” Sharits said. “It’s so much more potent than just straight heroin and that’s the reason so many more people are overdosing.”

In addition, more than 47,000 Americans committed suicide in 2017, which is approximately 2,000 more than the year before.

Data provided by the CDC.

This is the highest suicide death rate in at least 50 years, according to officials.

Santa Clarita has not been immune to these rising statistics, according to local officials.

“Our suicide rate has also increased unfortunately,” said Larry Schallert, chair of the Suicide Prevention, Postvention and Wellness Committee in Santa Clarita. “We noticed by mid-year that the trend was increasing and we expect rates to be higher.”

Schallert went on to list the various reasons for this increase in Santa Clarita, including an increased population and a high number of mental health cases reported in the valley.

“In general, people are feeling a lot more stressed out these days,” Schallert said. “There’s a lot of stress to be employed, to be good enough, to get into schools and get good grades, to have the life that would be expected in ‘Awesometown.’”

To both Sharits and Schallert, opioid addiction and suicide go hand-in-hand in the Santa Clarita Valley.

“We can’t deny the fact that with prosperity comes different kinds of drug issues,” Schallert said. “Young people here have the funds to buy opioids. We know that those drugs can make things worse and often lead to self-destructive behavior.”

Sharits finds that almost all of the people he treats at The Way Out Recovery Intensive Outpatient Program also have “co-occurring disorder,” meaning that along with substance abuse problems, the patient also has some sort of mental health issue, such as depression.

“What we’re seeing is that drug use and things like depression very much go hand-in-hand,” Sharits said. “A lot of people who are stuck in the cycle of addiction, who also have depression, often times get to a point where they feel like suicide is the only way out.”

The key to solving the opioid problem in Santa Clarita is for people to start talking about it openly, according to Sharits.

“We can’t take this lightly,” Sharits said. “Just because it might not hit you personally in your own home doesn’t mean it’s not going to hit you at some point. Everybody is suffering from this.”

If a person believes that someone they know is thinking about committing suicide, Schallert advises that they assess the situation by looking for things such as feelings of hopelessness, an organized plan, and reckless behavior.

“Listen, make sure you really understand them,” Schallert said. “When people feel understood, they are less likely to engage in self-destructive behaviors.”

In addition to seeking professional care, Schallert says that people should engage in self-help strategies, such as exercise, getting together with friends and family, and staying away from substances such as drugs and alcohol.

In the event of an emergency, call 911, or text the Suicide Crisis Text Line at 741741.

Anyone seeking information about mental health resources available in the Santa Clarita Valley can click here for a list of resources. There are 24-hour phone numbers available. In the event of an emergency, 911 should always be the first call. Those looking to speak with someone can call:

• 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
• 1-800-854-7771 for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health
• 1-800-784-2433 for the Treatment Advocacy Center
• 661-259-9439 for the SCV Child & Family Center
• 661-296-4444 for the Way Out Recovery SCV
• 661 212-0720 for Sharon Brubaker – Grief Recovery Specialist
• 661-288-4800 for the Santa Clarita Valley Mental Health Center
• 661-257-9688 for the Santa Clarita Valley Youth Project
• 661-803-1641 for Straightening Reins, equine therapy

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