Kids with and without mental health diagnoses are heading to emergency rooms for help

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/index.htm?utm_campaign=morning_rounds&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=279546180&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8QcR8b-cFN_ZiBdrwLJTF4bmhCi7979664MfbzM_NvcpRcVvBPWWqNfUdGV0q8Isqm6VdACBP7OdgG-tVLQ5gl3tKeMw&utm_content=279546180&utm_source=hs_email Just the background is jarring before you see what’s new in today’s CDC report comparing visits to emergency departments for mental health reasons by kids and adolescents with and without diagnosed disorders. To set the stage, the authors remind us that visits for mental health reasons in this age group, including suicide attempts and suicides, jumped 60% from 2007 to 2016. In the pandemic’s first eight months, mental health-related ED visits rose by 24% for ages 5 to 11 and 31% for ages 12 to 17, compared with 2019 ED visits. The new report, covering 2018 to 2021, found these differences: Visit rates related to diagnosed disorders were higher for adolescents than for kids under 12, and visit rates without a diagnosis were higher among younger children. Visit rates related to mental health disorders were higher for girls than boys, and for Black children of all ages than for Hispanic or white children. One common factor: Medicaid was the top source of payment.