news
Mental health-related visits to emergency rooms by children, teens, and young adults surged from 2011 to 2020, according to a report released Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Suicide-related visits saw the biggest jump, with a five-fold increase. According to the team of researchers and doctors who published the report, the findings show an “urgent” need to expand crisis management services.
This study drew on data from the National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey and looked at the annual number of mental health-related ER visits by people aged 6 to 24 years. From 2011 to 2020, the team found this number increased from his 4.8 million to 7.5 million. In fact, emergency department visits for mental health-related issues nearly doubled, from 7.7% to 13.1%.
Many conditions, including mood and behavioral disorders, substance use and psychosis, saw an increase in visits. However, the increase in suicide-related problems was most pronounced, rising from 0.9% in 2011 to 4.2% in 2020.
why it matters
More and more children and young people are grappling with mental distress, but the health system has not caught up. People are turning to emergency rooms that are ill-equipped to deal with them. I found myself sleeping in the treatment room.
“Addressing this gap will require a committed effort across the country,” concludes the JAMA paper.
Background
For decades, the country’s healthcare infrastructure has been built to serve young people dealing with infections, fractures, and other accidental injuries. While these issues remain, there have been major changes in the nature of the diseases that children, adolescents and adolescents suffer. 2019, American Academy of Pediatrics published a report pointing out that “mental health disorders have transcended physical conditions” as the most common problem causing “disabilities and limitations” in adolescents.
Pediatrician training lags behind, and emergency rooms are designed to triage patients, not to function as psychiatric units.
what’s next
JAMA research describes a “significant need” to expand non-hospital treatment options, including programs in schools, more outpatient centers and urgent care clinics with round-the-clock services . some state legislatorsAt the U.S. and federal level, we are exploring ways to expand coverage to address the changing risks faced by young people.
