B5 Drug-related deaths in Scotland
This section is based on the General Register Office for Scotland’s Short Paper published on the 31st August 2006. This paper and those for previous years can be found at www.gro-scotland.gov.uk
In order to be consistent with the other data sources in this publication, ISD have highlighted 5-year trends in drug related deaths (2001 to 2005) within the following key points. The original GROS paper focused on trends from 1996. |
Key Points 2005
Overview
- In 2005 there were 336 drug-related deaths (Table B5.1).
- Most deaths (68%) were to persons aged under 40 years, with 14% aged under 25 years (Table B5.4).
- Men accounted for 77% of the 336 drug-related deaths in 2005 (Table B5.4).
- The majority of deaths (61%) were known or suspected drug abusers. Over a quarter of female deaths (27%) were intentional self-poisonings compared to less than a tenth of male deaths (8%) (Table B5.4).
- Of the 48 cases aged under 25 years, 67% (32 cases) were known, or suspected to be, drug-dependent. 15% were accidental poisonings, 13% were undetermined and 6% were intentional self-poisonings (Table B5.4).
Five year trends -2001 to 2005
Care should be taken when assessing the trends shown in Tables B5.1 and B5.2 because of the relatively small numbers involved, particularly for some health board areas, and the possibility that more complete information has been reported in recent years.
- In 2005 there were 20 (6%) fewer deaths than in 2004 (decreasing from 356 to 336) and 46 (12%) fewer than in 2002 (Table B5.1).
- From 2001 the number of deaths involving known or suspected drug abusers decreased from 227 to 204 (10%), having peaked at 280 cases in 2002. The number of deaths attributed to accidental poisoning has increased since 2001, from 19 to 31. There was also an increase in the number of intentional selfpoisonings, from 34 to 43 (Table B5.1).
- Between 2001 and 2005 there was a decrease in the number of drug-related deaths in younger age groups. Deaths of those aged 15 to 19 years decreased from 23 to 13, and for those aged 20 to 24 years decreased from 56 to 34 cases. Deaths for those ages 25 to 29 years decreased from 67 to 53 and deaths of those ages 30 to 34 years also decreased from 73 to 51. However, increases were seen in all age groups over 35 years. Deaths of those aged 35 to 39 years increased from 44 cases in 2001 to 76 cases in 2005 and deaths recorded for ages 40 to 44 years also showed an increase from 25 to 50 over the five years (Table B5.2).
Drugs recorded
Tables B5.5 and B5.6 give information on the involvement of selected drugs, either alone or, more commonly, in combination with other drugs. Since the tables record individual mentions of particular drugs they involve double counting of some deaths. It is believed that for the overwhelming majority of cases where morphine has been identified in post-mortem toxicological tests its presence is a result of heroin use. The tables therefore show a combined figure for ‘heroin/morphine’. In 2005 the drugs listed were known to be involved in 282 (84%) of the 336 deaths1.
- In 2005 heroin/morphine was recorded in 194 (58%) of the deaths; alcohol was recorded in 114 (34%); diazepam was recorded in 90 (27%) of the deaths; and methadone was recorded in 72 (21%) of the deaths (Table B5.5).
- Since 2001 there has been a marked increase in the number of deaths where cocaine was recorded, from 19 to 44. All other drugs decreased or remained stable. Over the last five years the number of deaths recording methadone increased initially from 69 in 2001 to 98 in 2002, however between 2002 and 2005 there has been a downward trend from 98 to 72. The largest decrease was in the number of deaths recording diazepam, reducing from 156 in 2001 to 90 in 2005. Decreases in the number of drug-related deaths recording heroin/morphine, ecstasy and temazepam were also found over the last five years (Table B5.5).
Geographical profile
- Of the 336 deaths in 2005, 111 occurred in the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde board area. The next highest totals were found in NHS Lothian (57), NHS Lanarkshire (40), NHS Tayside (26) and NHS Grampian (23) (Table B5.2).
- Areas which showed a fall in drug-related deaths between 2004 and 2005 were NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (from 151 to 111), NHS Ayrshire and Arran (from 20 to 15) and NHS Forth Valley (from 16 to 14). NHS Lothian showed an increase of 21 cases in the last year. Other areas which saw an increase of five or more deaths were NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Borders (Table B5.2).
- There were some geographic differences in the reported involvement of certain drugs. Heroin/morphine was recorded in 74% of deaths in NHS Grampian, 65% of deaths in NHS Lanarkshire and NHS Tayside, 59% of deaths in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, and in 26% of deaths in NHS Lothian. Methadone was recorded in a third of deaths in Lothian and a quarter of deaths in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. Cocaine was recorded in 20% of deaths in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, 15% of death in NHS Lanarkshire and 7% of deaths in NHS Lothian (Tables B5.3 and B5.6).
Background Information
This section gives information about drug-related deaths in Scotland over the period 1996 — 2005 using the definition for baseline figures introduced in 2001. This definition was agreed by a working party set up following the publication, by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD), of a report2 on ‘Reducing drug related deaths’. The Office for National Statistics has also prepared data on drug-related deaths in England and Wales using this new definition. The paragraph below gives some background on the collection of information on drug-related deaths in Scotland. Annex B5.1 gives background on the definition of drug-related deaths used.
Drug-related deaths are identified using details from death registrations supplemented by information from a specially designed questionnaire, completed by forensic pathologists, for all deaths involving drugs or persons known or suspected to be drug-dependent. Additionally, GROS follows up all cases of deaths of people where the information on the death certificate is vague or suggests that there might be a background of drug abuse. A copy of the questionnaire currently used is given in Annex B5.2. A paper3 published in June 1995 by GROS described this enhancement to the data collection system.
References
1 Drug-related deaths in Scotland 2005. GROS, 2006.
2 The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. Reducing drug related deaths. Home Office, 2000.
3 Arrundale J and Cole S K. Collection of information on drug-related deaths by the General Register Office for Scotland. GROS, 1995.
Further information
Information on GROS statistics is available at: www.gro-scotland.gov.uk.
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