The Unintended Consequences of Covid-19

When One Crisis Overshadows Another

“Every one percent hike in the unemployment rate will likely produce a 3.3% increase in drug overdose deaths and a 0.99 percent increase in suicides…”

— Betsy McCaughey, PhD
Former New York Lieutenant Governor
New York Post

Editor’s note: This post was originally written during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Its warning remains relevant today.

As the world reeled from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of families continued to fight another devastating crisis — the opioid epidemic — from a far more weakened position, as media and public attention shifted rapidly from one emergency to the next.

For families already struggling with addiction, the question became painfully clear:

What does this new crisis mean for us?

The financial fallout of the pandemic devastated families who were already stretched thin — families who lost income, lost health insurance, and lost access to treatment and recovery support. Those most vulnerable became even more vulnerable, as concern grew that economic shutdowns would fuel increased drug addiction and suicide.

In a New York Post article, Betsy McCaughey warned:

“Every one percent hike in the unemployment rate will likely produce a 3.3% increase in drug overdose deaths and a 0.99 percent increase in suicides.”

During the April 15, 2020 episode of Fox News’ The Story with Martha MacCallum, McCaughey explained that these figures were not theoretical models, but drawn from historical data — including findings from the National Bureau of Economic Research and The Lancet, one of the world’s most respected medical journals.

Her warning was stark: while predicting coronavirus deaths relied on projections, the deaths tied to unemployment and despair were tragically predictable — and preventable.

As attention shifted from one crisis to another, millions of families who had already lost children and loved ones to addiction were left grieving in silence — still carrying the financial, emotional, and societal weight of stigma.

At the same time, individuals navigating full-blown addiction faced unprecedented barriers to care. Treatment programs, recovery services, and medical providers struggled to operate amid shutdowns — sometimes not even deemed “essential,” depending on the state.

And let us not forget the families.
The mothers and fathers isolated in fear.
The parents searching for help with nowhere to turn.

Yes, America — we can walk and chew gum at the same time.

We cannot forget the more than 70,000 lives lost to overdose each year, nor allow the opioid crisis — laden with stigma — to be left behind during national emergencies.

One crisis disproportionately impacts the elderly.
The other steals our young.

And through it all, the stigma of addiction only grows heavier.