Youth Mental Health: 12+ Hour ER Wait Times
Youth Mental Health: ED wait times exceeding 12 hours plague young people in crisis, a new study reveals. Data from 2018-2022 shows that a meaningful number of pediatric emergency department visits for suicidal thoughts or aggressive behaviors result in extended stays. The research highlights critical issues related to accessing mental health services for children and adolescents. public insurance holders face even longer waits for psychiatric beds. This study emphasizes the need for improved access to psychiatric care. Dr. Jennifer Hoffman, lead author, suggests solutions such as telehealth, school-based programs, and psychiatric urgent care. News Directory 3 is committed to delivering critical insights into this growing national crisis. Discover what actions can be taken.
Youth Mental Health Crisis: ED Waits Exceed 12 hours
A recent study highlights important challenges in accessing mental health care for young people. Researchers found that approximately one in three pediatric mental health emergency department (ED) visits, resulting in admission or transfer, exceeded 12 hours between 2018 and 2022. More than one in eight visits surpassed 24 hours.
The research, published in JACEP Open, indicated that 70% of children staying in the ED for over 12 hours were there due to suicidal thoughts or attempts, while over half presented with aggressive behaviors. The study underscores the critical need for improved access to mental health services for children and adolescents.
Dr. Jennifer Hoffmann, Behavioral Health Medical director at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Assistant Professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, led the study. She emphasized that the youth mental health crisis is leading to more severe psychiatric conditions in emergency departments. She noted that most children seek emergency care at adult hospitals, which may lack adequate pediatric resources.
Hoffmann and her team analyzed records representing 5.9 million mental health ED visits by children aged 5–17 over four years. An estimated 1.4 million of these visits led to admission or transfer. The study sample represented all pediatric ED visits for mental health concerns in the U.S., with only 1% occurring at children’s hospitals.
“Our study underscores significant issues with access to mental health care for children and adolescents, who often face prolonged ED stays because a psychiatric bed is not available,” said Dr. Hoffmann.
The study also revealed that youth with public insurance were more likely to experience extended ED stays while awaiting a psychiatric bed, highlighting inequities in accessing mental health services. According to Dr. Hoffmann, differences in reimbursement rates for psychiatric services between public and private insurance may contribute to these disparities.
“Differences in reimbursement rates for psychiatric services, which are often lower with public relative to private insurance may contribute to inequities in care access,” said Dr. Hoffmann.
What’s next
To improve mental health care access for youth, Dr.Hoffmann suggests increased use of telehealth,school-based mental health services,and integrating mental health care into primary care. She also mentioned psychiatric urgent care clinics and free-standing psychiatric EDs as potential solutions to meet the growing demand for these services.