Why are many parties, including the U.S. Government, concerned about the use of opioids for pain management

Why are many parties, including the U.S. Government, concerned about the use of opioids for pain management? Opioids are very powerful. Continued use of the medication can cause a decrease in tolerance. Thus, causing dependence with long-term use and withdrawal symptoms when trying to discontinue its use (Medline Plus, 2020). According to Medline Plus (2020), everyone that uses opioids for an extended period will become dependent and a small percentage will experience addiction. As of 2016, there was an estimated 50 million adults in the United States that have been prescribed opioids for noncancer pain (Busse et al, 2018). According to NIDA (2021), in 2019, nearly 50,000 people in the United States died from opioid-involved overdoses. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports this economic burden has cost the United States and estimated $78.5 billion a year resulting in an increase in healthcare cost, lost of productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement (Florence et al., 2016). Which mental health disorders are commonly associated with patients who also need pain relief?