West Virginia Work Injuries Increase Suicide & Overdose Risk — How to Protect Yourself
Drug overdoses and suicides have been rising since 2000 and are major contributors to a recent decline in West Virginia’s life expectancy. The opioid crisis is a big part of the problem with 1,253 overdose deaths in West Virginia in 2021. Suicides have also increased by 30% from 1999. It’s no surprise to the West Virginia work accident lawyers at West Law Firm that a recent study shows that there’s more to the problem than drug addiction alone.
In the study, “Suicide and drug‐related mortality following occupational injury,” researchers found that workplace injury significantly raises a person’s risk of suicide and overdose death. Earlier studies have shown that injured workers in West Virginia and beyond have elevated rates of opioid use and depression. Indeed, depression is among the most well-documented health consequences of workplace injuries. However, no previous studies have measured increased deaths related to opioid use and depression among injured workers.
What the Suicide and Drug-Related Mortality Following Occupational Injury Study Shows
According to this study of over 100,000 employees, workers who suffered an injury that caused them to miss work for at least a week, including workers injured in trucking accidents or slip and falls, were significantly more likely to die from suicide or overdose death. Specifically, men who suffered these injuries were 29 percent more likely to die from a drug overdose and 72 percent more likely to die from suicide. The difference in women was more significant: women were 193 percent more likely to die from a drug overdose and 92 percent more likely to die from suicide!
The study found that injured workers often receive powerful prescription pain medication, including opioids. In one study, 42% of workers with back injuries were prescribed opioids within a year after injury. Approximately 16% of those prescribed opioids continued taking them for four quarters, with doses increasing substantially over time.
How the WV Workers Comp System Contributes to the Problem
Another factor that may be contributing to the rise in drug overdoses and suicides in injured workers is the fact that many workers support their families, and when they’re injured, they sometimes can’t do that anymore. This often causes injured workers to feel distressed about not being able to take care of their family like they once did.
Worse yet, West Virginia worker’s compensation is often grossly inadequate to provide for an injured worker and his family while he or she recovers from a workplace injury. Worker’s compensation insurance carriers sometimes fight injured worker’s tooth and nail, and West Virginia law provides little to no relief when insurance carriers cheat injured workers and hire unscrupulous “independent” medical examiners.
What can West Virginia do to Help Injured Workers?
How work injuries lead to increased chance of opioid addiction and suicide is a serious and complex issue. Here’s are some strategies to decrease these risks after an accident at work:
1. Prevention & Early Intervention:
Responsible Opioid Prescribing:
- Healthcare providers should adhere to strict guidelines for opioid prescriptions, emphasizing non-opioid pain management alternatives whenever possible.
- Implement prescription drug monitoring programs to track and prevent opioid misuse.
- Promote education for both healthcare providers and injured workers about the risks of opioid addiction.
- Mental Health Support:
- Recognize that work injuries can lead to depression and anxiety, which are risk factors for both opioid misuse and suicide.
- Provide access to mental health services, including counseling and therapy.
- Train supervisors and colleagues to recognize signs of distress and provide support.
- Implementing employee assistance programs(EAP’s)
2. Pain Management Alternatives:
- Non-Pharmacological Approaches:
- Explore alternative pain management methods, such as physical therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, and cognitive behavioral therapy.
- Promote the use of non-opioid pain medications.
- Multidisciplinary Pain Management:
- Encourage a multidisciplinary approach to pain management, involving physicians, physical therapists, and mental health professionals.
3. Addressing the Social Determinants:
- Job Security and Financial Stability:
- Provide support to injured workers to ensure job security and financial stability during their recovery.
- Assist with workers’ compensation claims and provide resources for financial assistance.
- Social Support:
- Foster a supportive work environment that reduces stigma and encourages open communication.
- Connect injured workers with peer support groups and community resources.
4. Post-Injury Support:
- Monitoring and Follow-up:
- Closely monitor injured workers for signs of opioid misuse and mental health distress.
- Provide regular follow-up appointments with healthcare providers and mental health professionals.
- Recovery-Supportive Workplaces:
- Create a workplace culture that supports recovery from substance use disorders.
- Provide access to resources for substance abuse treatment and recovery.
- Ensure that return to work programs are available.
How Each of Us Can Help Injured Workers
Also, as individual West Virginians, we can contribute to the solution by talking about the risks and dangers injured workers face. Isolation is a leading cause of depression, suicide, and drug abuse. The workplace is also often a place of community for employees. When employees are injured in a workplace accident and can no longer work, they get cut off from a part of their community. And this often leads to isolation.
Talking about these issues with friends and loved ones who have suffered a workplace injury can help them feel less isolated and alone. Also, by talking about these issues, we can raise awareness of the obstacles injured workers face in West Virginia. Knowing what dangers lie ahead is critical to overcoming them.
Another resource that can be helpful in some work accident cases is speaking with an experienced West Virginia work accident lawyer to see if you have any claims above and beyond workers comp. For example, you may have a deliberate intent claim against your employer, or a personal injury claim against a third party, like the manufacturer of equipment that may have injured you.
Free Case Evaluation From An Experienced West Virginia Work Accident Lawyer
We hope that you and your loved ones have a safe workplace and remain free from injury. However, if you or a loved one is injured at work or in an accident, we invite you to call West Law Firm for a Free Case Evaluation. There’s also No Fees or costs of any kind unless and until we recover compensation for you. Our toll-free number is 1-877-943-9378 (WEST).
Brooks West is a distinguished West Virginia personal injury attorney and the founder of West Law Firm. Since beginning his legal career in 2005, he has been a tireless advocate for those injured due to the negligence of others.
Brooks is ranked by Best Lawyers, and his exceptional legal skills and dedication have earned him the prestigious Martindale-Nolo AV Preeminent Rating, an accolade bestowed on attorneys who demonstrate the highest levels of professional excellence and ethical standards. Brooks is also a member of both the Million Dollar Advocates Forum and the Multimillion Dollar Advocates Forum, reflecting his track record of securing multimillion dollar results for his clients.
Throughout his career, Brooks has demonstrated unwavering dedication to helping injured individuals and their families. If you’ve been hurt in an accident, Brooks West and his team at West Law Firm are ready to fight for the compensation you deserve.
Lance Bork