Oregon Shooting: How to Identify Mental Disorders in Youth Before Tragedy Occurs

The shooting at Umpqua Community College in Oregon is reported to be the 45th school shooting this year. The fact that all of these tragedies have been committed by teenagers or young adults raises the question: how do young people with such severe mental health disorders go unnoticed and miss getting the treatment they need?

In a paper published this week, investigators at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles conducted a pilot study that instituted a mental health screener as part of care for children, adolescents and young adults visiting the emergency department for non-mental health issues. After screening more than 900 patients, the investigators were surprised to see that nearly 50% of kids were at risk for undiagnosed mental health issues.

“Undiagnosed mental health issues have reached epidemic proportions,” said Alan L. Nager, MD, MHA, director of Emergency and Transport Medicine at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and first author on the study. “By conducting mental health screening in the emergency department we can provide the opportunity for early identification and treatment for all children."

See study: Mental Health Screening Among Adolescents and Young Adults in the Emergency Department.