Shane Darke

1 month ago | mja.com.au | Shane Darke |Amy Peacock |Johan Duflou |Michael Farrell

Med J Aust 2025; 222 (5): 259-261.

1 month ago | onlinelibrary.wiley.com | Shane Darke |Michael Farrell |Wayne Hall |Julia M Lappin

The term ‘deaths of despair’ has gained a great deal of currency. Although postulated from concern and with good intent, the term is misguided in theory, unsupported in fact and misinforming in its implications. The term ‘deaths of despair’ gained a great deal of currency as shorthand for three causes of death—drug overdoses, suicides and alcohol-related liver disease [1].

Dec 15, 2024 | theconversation.com | Shane Darke |UNSW Sydney

Opioids are some of the most widely used and misused drugs in the world. Opioids are central nervous system depressants, meaning they slow down brain activity and relax the muscles. They include the natural products of the opium poppy as well as synthetic (human-made) compounds derived from it. Commonly used opioids include heroin, morphine, opium, codeine, methadone, buprenorphine, oxycodone, fentanyl and the nitazenes.

Sep 10, 2024 | onlinelibrary.wiley.com | Emmert Roberts |Caroline Copeland |Shane Darke |Michael Farrell

Recent media reports highlight that unintentional drug-related fatalities can occur while individuals are immersed in water in domestic settings. Over the last two decades in the United Kingdom there has been a mean of six unintentional drug-related deaths each year where individuals were found in a bath or hot tub. Multiple drug toxicity was implicated in the majority of cases, with opioids implicated in over half of all fatalities.

Jan 14, 2024 | insightplus.mja.com.au | Shane Darke

While many other drugs get national attention, a significant number of people still die from heroin overdose. Doctors and the general public could be forgiven for assuming that the “heroin problem” is no longer with us. In recent years, the focus of the media has been squarely on drugs such as methamphetamine, cocaine, and 3,4‐methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA; also known as ecstasy) (here). While these are clearly worthy of serious discussion, little recent attention has been given to heroin.