ER Data Indicates the Pandemic Is Harming Children’s Mental Health

A new CDC analysis shows recent increases in the proportion of children’s emergency department visits for reasons related to mental health.

By Gary Emerling of U.S. News & World Report.

"The average proportion of emergency department visits by children for mental health-related reasons was more than 40% higher from mid-March into October compared with that time period in 2019, according to a new analysis.

The report, released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is based on information from a subset of hospitals in 47 states, and "provides timely surveillance data concerning children's mental health in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic," it states.

As the pandemic and efforts to mitigate it took hold, the report shows average weekly numbers of children's emergency department visits both overall and for mental health-related reasons such as stress and anxiety declined in mid-March to mid-October compared with in 2019. Yet the comparative proportion of emergency visits for concerns tied to mental health increased in the same time frame, the report shows.

Researchers found an approximately 44% surge in the average proportion of mental health visits among children under 18, with increases of roughly 24% among 5- to 11-year-olds and 31% among 12- to 17-year-olds.

"Many mental disorders commence in childhood, and mental health concerns in these age groups might be exacerbated by stress related to the pandemic and abrupt disruptions to daily life associated with mitigation efforts, including anxiety about illness, social isolation, and interrupted connectedness to school," the report states. Meanwhile, "the majority of (emergency departments) lack adequate capacity to treat pediatric mental health concerns, potentially increasing demand on systems already stressed by the COVID-19 pandemic."

The report notes that its findings may be influenced by factors such as variations in data reporting; mitigation measures that curbed access to places where children normally might receive mental health care, such as schools; and large decreases in the number and proportion of visits to the emergency room for other reasons, such as asthma. One person also may make multiple emergency department visits.

Still, because many visits for mental health care occur outside of emergency rooms, "these data likely underestimate the actual number of mental health-related health care visits," researchers said.

"These findings demonstrate continued need for mental health care for children during the pandemic and highlight the importance of expanding mental health services, such as telemental health and technology-based solutions" such as mobile applications, the report says."