American Life Expectancy Is Down While Rates of Suicide and Drug Overdose Increase

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With rising suicide rates andan increase in drug overdoses, American life expectancy is down again.

For decades, the life expectancy rate would go up each year. But it fell for the first time in 2015, stayed stable in 2016 and went down again in 2017, when the Centers for Disease Control said that the average American could expect to live for 78.7 years. This year,based on data from 2017, that number is down to 78.6.

CDC director Dr. Robert R. Redfieldsaid in a statementthat they see the rising suicide rate andincrease in opioid useas the main causes for shortened life expectancy.

But this new data is concerning, Redfield said.

“Life expectancy gives us a snapshot of the nation’s overall health and these sobering statistics are a wakeup call that we are losing too many Americans, too early and too often, to conditions that are preventable,” he said. “CDC is committed to putting science into action to protect U.S. health, but we must all work together to reverse this trend and help ensure that all Americans live longer and healthier lives.”

source: people.com