Pediatric psychiatry admissions on the rise
Contact: Cathy Zaorski, Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital: 203- 688-2490
Embargo: Monday, May 15, 5 pm
Preliminary findings of a study, done at the Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital, show that more children are being brought to emergency departments (ED) with psychiatric problems than ever before. The study, conducted by Dr. Karen A. Santucci, pediatric emergency medicine physician, examined admission records for a period of five years at the Yale-New Haven Children's Hospital. She found an overall increase of 59% in psychiatric-related visits between 1995 and 1999, compared to a 20% increase in non- psychiatric-related visits. Based on data, the numbers could increase even further over time.
Dr. Santucci has drawn several conclusions from her research. The volume of ED visits by children with psychiatric complaints has risen significantly over the past five years. Emergency medicine physicians are seeing an increase in children referred for depression, suicide attempts and behavioral changes. Many pediatric emergency departments are not fully prepared to handle the complexities of acute psychiatric emergencies.
News reports have made parents, educator and pediatricians more aware of psychiatric issues. These professionals are heeding warning signs and referring children to emergency departments, oftentimes secondary to a lack of availability and/or awareness of other resources. Dr. Santucci and her co-authors perceive this increase in referrals to be in epidemic proportions. The researchers recommend that pediatric emergency departments should consider this pattern when planning resource allocation, such as social work availability and physician training in psychiatric to properly manage this growing epidemic.
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