Half of pediatric mental health visits hit smaller EDs

Pediatric suicide-related visits showed a similar distribution, while patient and diagnostic characteristics differed across emergency settings.

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Approximately half of pediatric mental health-related ED visits occurred in settings with fewer than 10,000 annual pediatric visits.
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The study analyzed 5.4 million weighted mental health-related ED visits among pediatric patients aged 5 to 17 years from 2016 to 2022.
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Suicide or self-injury was the most frequent diagnosis, accounting for 24% of visits, followed by depressive disorders at 23%.
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Mental health-related ED visits increased by 24% from 2016 to 2022, while suicide-related visits rose by 74% during the same period.
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The study found disparities in ED presentation based on race and insurance type, with non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic patients more likely to visit high-volume EDs.

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