Fatal overdoses in the U.S. fell for the first time in five years in 2023, according to preliminary estimates recently released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

However, University of California, Los Angeles researcher Joseph Friedman warns that the new findings should not be interpreted to mean that the nation’s drug and mental health crises are abating.

Friedman has analyzed “deaths of despair” that result from overdose, suicide and liver disease due to alcoholism and found that while death rates for white Americans have dipped, rates have risen in recent years among people of color in the U.S., especially among Native and Black Americans.

While it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact reasons behind substance abuse or suicide, Friedman as well as other experts in addiction medicine and mental health say racial inequality, economic distress and historical trauma have aggravated those problems in marginalized communities.If you or someone you know needs immediate help for a mental health, substance-use or suicidal crisis, call or text 988, or chat online by visiting the suicide and crisis line’s website, 988lifeline.org/chat.

Here are other organizations that offer information, counseling and support services:

• The Michigan Addiction Hotline is free and anonymous for any resident to receive assistance with addiction. Call 866-210-1303 anytime.

• The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services offers a warmline for any Michigan resident to receive support and resources free of cost. Call 888-733-7753.

• The Michigan Crisis and Access Line is a free and anonymous 24/7 helpline available for any resident with any type of crisis or need. Call 844-446-4225. Primarily based out of the Upper Peninsula/Oakland County, MiCAL still offers help to any Michigander.

• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration offers a national helpline providing free, confidential, 24/7, 365-day-a-year treatment referral and information services for individuals and families facing mental and/or substance use disorders. Call 800-662-4357.

• The American Indian Counseling Center, a division of the Los Angeles County Mental Health Department, offers crisis intervention, 24/7 intensive mental health services and counseling for all ages, as well as physician consultations for medications and referrals to culturally relevant support groups. Call 562-402-0677 and ask to speak with the on-duty worker.

• Melanin and Mental Health offers an online network of Black and brown mental health care providers that is searchable by geographic area, issue type and treatment sought. It’s also possible to filter results by therapists’ racial background and specialty, as well as by insurance carrier. Visit melaninandmentalhealth.com.

• The Black Mental Health Alliance offers confidential referrals to culturally competent mental health professionals who are in its database of licensed therapists. Visit blackmentalhealth.com.

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Jason Alley contributed to this report.