Psychiatric News (6/24) reports, “The percentage of children presenting to emergency departments (EDs) with mental illness and substance use disorders rose dramatically between 2007 and 2016, with visits related to deliberate self-harm increasing by more than 300%,” investigators concluded after analyzing “data from the 2007 to 2016 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.” The study revealed that over the period of a decade, “the total number of pediatric ED visits was stable, but pediatric ED visits for all mental health disorders rose 60% and visits related to substance use disorder rose 159%.” Meanwhile, over this time period, “ED visits for deliberate self-harm increased by 329%.” The findings were published in the June issue of Pediatrics.
Related Links:
— “Threefold Increase Seen in Children Visiting Emergency Departments for Deliberate Self-Harm, Psychiatric News, June 24, 2020