Emergency department preparedness for children seeking mental health care

McBride, Deborah L.

There has been a dramatic increase in emergency department visits by children for mental health disorders (2007 to 2016); howevernational preparedness surveys have shown that emergency departments are unprepared to care for children seeking mental health care. The increase is particularly high in emergency departments in rural areas and in emergency departments with low pediatric volumes. These sites have been shown to be particularly less prepared for children with mental disorders. How the recent COVID-19 pandemic will affect the mental health of children is unknown, but it has brought new stressors, including family unemployment and food insecurity, while removing children from traditional resources they have relied on to cope with stress. This may further increase the number of children coming to emergency departments needing care for mental health disorders. Practitioners need to be prepared for an increase in children needing care for mental health disorders particularly in rural and low pediatric volume hospitals.