The Atlantic

How Untreated Depression Contributes to the Opioid Epidemic

Research suggests some are seeking out painkillers when what they really need is Prozac.
Source: Jonathan Ernst / Reuters

It can sometimes seem strange how so much of the country got hooked on opioids within just a few years. Deaths from prescription like oxycodone, hydrocodone, and methadone have more than quadrupled since 1999, according to the CDC. But pain doesn’t seem to be the only culprit: of Americans have chronic pain, but not all of them take prescription painkillers for it. Of those who do take prescription opioids, not all become addicted.

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