Wouldn’t it be nice if we could just stop talking about drug overdose deaths in Butler County? It’s a depressing topic, to say the least. It overshadows the earnest efforts of many individuals and organizations trying to make this a better place to live, work and visit.

We’re sorry to be the bearers of bad news, but the latest government figures are simply too grim to ignore.

U.S. deaths from drug overdoses jumped 21 percent in 2016, and shortened overall life expectancy for the second straight year, according to the data, which was released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Pennsylvania and Butler County both outpaced the national rate of 19.8 deaths per 100,000 people. Pennsylvania’s 2016 overdose fatality rate was 37.9 per 100,000; Butler County’s rate was 39.6 per 100,000.

That’s a hard fact to gloss over. And for the county, the 2017 overdose death rate will climb even higher, despite the widespread introduction of the opioid antidote naloxone, also known at Narcan. With several deaths still pending confirmation, the current confirmed count of 87 overdoses puts the county’s 2017 fatality rate at 47 deaths per 100,000.

How does a society reverse this unsettling trend? Maybe by looking at it from another perspective.

A report released last month, titled “Pain in the Nation,” attempts to do just that.

Published and funded by three health care conglomerates — Trust for America’s Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Well Being Trust — the study merges data for deaths related to drugs, alcohol and suicide. The resulting “well-being/despair index” gives a unique view of the mental and emotional state of the American people, as well as some measurable strategies to improve the nation’s outlook — and, with hope, decrease the number of untimely, unnecessary and costly deaths.

“The scale of the challenge requires solutions that are equally formidable,” the report’s authors write in an introduction. “We need integrated, community-driven solutions that work upstream to address the drivers of disease and pain. This report lays the foundation for a national resilience strategy to do just this.”

Consider what these three health care trusts have suggested: that suicide and addiction are different expressions and symptoms of the same social illnesses, which are manageable — the way physical pain is manageable.

Coincidentally, managed health is the emerging mission of Trust for America’s Health, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Well Being Trust and similar organizations. They have particular incentives to keep people healthy and happy at minimum expense. There’s nothing wrong with that.

The complete text of “Pain in the Nation” is available online at http://wellbeingtrust.org/. It’s worth a thorough read.