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Tropical cyclones may be linked to an increase in drug–related death rates in the months after the event, according to US data. The study found that for every extra day people were exposed to tropical cyclones, the rates of overdoses, alcohol-induced deaths, and deaths from substance use increased by 3.84% in the same month, with effects lasting up to three months. The researchers say this translates to an additional 5.37 monthly deaths per million people. The authors say tropical cyclone exposure may impact psychological distress, anxiety, depression, and grief, all of which can lead to the use of alcohol and other psychoactive drugs as a coping behaviour.
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