More than 630 drug related deaths recorded for 2012

More than 630 drug related deaths have been recorded for 2012, according to new figures from the Health Research Board.

The number of deaths decreased slightly from 645 in 2011 to 633 in 2012, but the figure is likely to rise as more coroners’ cases close and could end up being higher than in 2011.

A total of 350 people died in 2012 from poisoning (ie the toxic effect of drugs in the body) while 283 deaths were the result of trauma, such as hanging; or medical cause, such as liver disease.

The findings reveal a number of trends: alcohol was involved in a third of poisoning deaths; more than half of the people who died took a mixture of drugs and half of all trauma deaths were from hangings.

Drug related deaths have increased by almost 50 per cent between 2004, when the number was 432, and 2012. A total of 5,289 drug-related deaths have been recorded since records began in 2004.

Health Research Board chief executive Graham Love said approximately two drug related deaths occur every day and account for four times as many deaths as road traffic incidents.

Half of the 350 people who died from poisoning in 2012 were aged 40 or younger, three out of four were men and alcohol was involved in one in every three deaths.

Since 2004 there has been a 60 per cent increase in the number of deaths involving polydrug use and more than half of 2012’s deaths occurred as a result of taking a mixture of drugs.

Deaths from heroin have declined substantially, from a peak of 115 in 2009 to 61 in 2012. More than a third of people who died from poisoning had a history of mental illness.

Although the number of deaths from poisoning fell from 387 in 2011 to 350 in 2012, the number of deaths from trauma or medical causes increased in the same period from 258 to 283.

A total of 138 deaths occurred from trauma, just over half of which were a result of hanging. Half of trauma deaths were among people aged 29 years or younger, 80 per cent of them were men. More than half of those who died from traumatic causes had a history of mental illness.

HRB research officer Ena Lynn said “it is hoped that over time this data would be useful in terms of providing evidence for treatment for co-morbid conditions of mental illness and addiction.”

Deaths from medical causes increased from 132 in 2011 to 143 in 2012. The majority of deaths were among people aged between 35 and 59 years.

Men accounted for seven in 10 medical deaths. The most common causes were cardiac events (31 per cent) and liver disease (16 per cent).