A growing number of desperate parents are bringing their mentally ill kids to emergency rooms, even as most hospitals’ ERs are not equipped to help beyond addressing immediate safety concerns.
A new study published in the March 2023 Pediatrics journal (published online on Feb. 13) analyzed a Medicaid database and found that more than 26% of children who visited the ER for mental health issues made a repeat visit to the hospital within six months.
Additionally, only about half of those children then had follow-up mental health care within 30 days, said the study, entitled “Follow-Up after Pediatric Mental Health Emergency Visits.”
