The "deaths of despair" problem is peculiar to middle aged white Americans. 

In other developed countries, death rates within the same race and age group *decreased* during the study period. 

An article in The Economist (3/25) speculates that the failure to implement universal health care in the U.S. is partly to blame.  In support, the author cites an Oregon study revealing that poor people with access to Medicaid show 30% reduction in clinically diagnosed depression, compared to those without access to Medicaid.

As a nation, we reap what we sow.

Stephen J. Remington