The number of youth visiting the emergency room with anxiety and depression has increased in Virginia with more than 3,000 visits per quarter.
An analysis by the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association evaluated inpatient hospital data from the first quarter of 2020 through the second quarter of 2023. The analysis showed that the majority of pediatric visits were by females which made of 68.74 percent of visits.
The data showed that teen girls between the ages of 12 to 17 are more likely to end up in the ER than younger girls, up to age 12. For boys, the distribution of visits was more even, with only a slight skew toward teenage years.
The highest volume of visits was recorded in the first quarter of 2023, with numbers surpassing pre-pandemic levels. The data also showed a steady increase in ER visits since the second quarter of 2020.
Reasons for these visits range from suicidal ideation, self-harm and eating and substance use disorders to behavioral outbursts, aggression and psychosis.
Virginia hospitals average approximately 3,054 pediatric emergency department visits for anxiety and depression each quarter, according to VHHA.
Emergency room visits by diagnosis
- Unspecified anxiety disorder: 33 percent
- Single episodes of unspecified major depressive disorders: 33 percent
- Unspecified depression: 17.5 percent
- Generalized anxiety disorder: 6 percent
- Unspecified PTSD: 5 percent
- Panic disorders: 5 percent
A September 2023 study authored in part by Mohsen Saidinejad showed a similar trend throughout the United States.
The abstract of the study pointed out that despite the increase in mental health conditions, the capacity of the health care system nationwide to screen, diagnose and manage these patients continues to decline.
“Many emergency departments lack sufficient personnel, capacity and infrastructure to triage and treat patients with mental and behavioral emergencies,” said Saidinejad, MD, MS, MBA, FAAP, FACEP. “This increases the likelihood of lengthy wait times, crowded facilities and other challenges that compromise patient care. In many cases, an inadequate mental health infrastructure gives families nowhere else to turn but the emergency department.”
Saidinejad said that ER physicians are not mental health professionals and cannot provide proper definitive care.
The U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory for treatment related to youth mental health providing recommendations for how to address the crisis.
Murthy cited national statistics that show one in three high school students and half of female students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2019.
“It would be a tragedy (COVID-19 pandemic) if we beat back one public health crisis only to allow another to grow in its place,” said Murthy. “Mental health challenges in children, adolescents and young adults are real, and they are widespread. But most importantly, they are treatable, and often preventable.
“For a generation of children facing unprecedented pressures and stresses, day in and day out, change can’t come soon enough.
“If we each start reorienting our priorities to create accessible space in our homes, schools, workplaces and communities for seeking and giving assistance, we can all start building a culture that normalizes and promotes mental health care.”
If you or someone you know needs support now, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org
For local mental health resources, visit AFP’s Project Mental Health page.
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Crystal Graham
