PolicyLab

OBJECTIVE: To examine trends in mental health (MH) visits to pediatric emergency departments (EDs) and identify whether ED disposition varies by presence of a hospital inpatient psychiatric unit (IPU). STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study of 8,479,311 ED visits to 35 children's hospitals from 2012 to 2016 for patients aged 3 to 21 years with a primary MH or non-MH diagnosis. Multivariable generalized estimating equations and bivariate Rao-Scott chi-square tests were used to examine trends in ED visits and ED disposition by IPU status, adjusted for clustering by hospital. RESULTS: From 2012 to 2016, hospitals experienced a greater increase in ED visits with a primary MH vs. non-MH diagnosis (50.7% vs. 12.7% cumulative increase, P<.001). MH visits were associated with patients who were older, female, white non-Hispanic, and privately insured compared with patients of non-MH visits (all P<.001). 44% of MH visits in 2016 had a primary diagnosis of depressive disorders or suicide or self-injury, and the increase in visits was highest for these diagnosis groups (depression: 109.8%; suicide or self-injury: 110.2%). Among MH visits, presence of a hospital IPU was associated with increased hospitalizations (34.6% vs. 22.5%, P<.001) and less transfers (9.3% vs. 16.2%, P<.001). CONCLUSION: The increase in ED MH visits from 2012 to 2016 was four times greater than non-MH visits at US children's hospitals, and was primarily driven by patients diagnosed with depressive disorders and suicide or self-injury. Our findings have implications for strategic planning in tertiary children's hospitals dealing with a rising demand for acute MH care.