Children's Mental Health Emergency Department Visits: 2007-2016

Emergency department (ED) visits for children seeking mental health care have increased. Few studies have examined national patterns and characteristics of EDs that these children present to. In data from the National Pediatric Readiness Project, it is reported that less than half of EDs are prepared to treat children. Our objective is to describe the trends in pediatric mental health visits to US EDs, with a focus on low-volume, nonmetropolitan EDs, which have been shown to be less prepared to provide pediatric emergency care.

Using 2007 to 2016 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample databases, we assessed the number of ED visits made by children (5-17 years) with a mental health disorder using descriptive statistics. ED characteristics included pediatric volume, children's ED classification, and location.

Pediatric ED visits have been stable; however, visits for deliberate self-harm increased 329%, and visits for all mental health disorders rose 60%. Visits for children with a substance use disorder rose 159%, whereas alcohol-related disorders fell 39%. These increased visits occurred among EDs of all pediatric volumes, regardless of children's ED classification. Visits to low-pediatric-volume and nonmetropolitan areas rose 53% and 41%, respectively.

Although the total number of pediatric ED visits has remained stable, visits among children with mental health disorders have risen, particularly among youth presenting for deliberate self-harm and substance abuse. The majority of these visits occur at nonchildren's EDs in both metropolitan and nonurban settings, which have been shown to be less prepared to provide higher-level pediatric emergency care.