Pediatric ER Visits for Self Harm Have Tripled Since 2007

While the total number of pediatric emergency department (ED) visits has remained stable over the last decade, the number of visits for mental health disorders, especially involving deliberate self-harm and substance abuse, has risen significantly, according to the results of a recent analysis.

Although previous evidence has suggested that pediatric ED visits for mental health care have increased, few studies have examined these trends and the characteristics of EDs patients present to, the researchers wrote.

For their study, they examined data from the 2007 to 2016 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample databases detailing ED visits by children aged 5 to 17 years with mental health disorders.

They found that while the overall number of pediatric ED visits has not changed significantly, visits for mental health disorders in general and deliberate self-harm increased by 60% and 329%, respectively. Visits for substance use disorder rose 159%, although visits for alcohol-related disorders decreased 39%. Visits to low-pediatric-volume and nonmetropolitan areas rose 53% and 41%, respectively.

“The majority of children presenting with mental health disorders did not seek care at specialized pediatric EDs. We demonstrated significantly increased visits by children with mental health disorders to small-pediatric-volume, rural EDs that may be least likely to be prepared to provide higher-level pediatric care,” they concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:
Lo CB, Bridge JA, Shi J, et al. Children’s Mental Health Emergency Department Visits: 2007–2016. Published online May 1, 2020. Pediatrics. doi: 10.1542/peds.2019-1536