DOTmed January 31, 2023
Often crowded, chaotic, and understaffed with long wait times, hospital emergency departments are not the ideal setting in which to deliver mental health services to patients. But, on average, one in eight ED visits in the U.S. is related to a mental health or substance use disorder. Hospitals have seen a 24% spike in mental health ED visits for children aged 5 to 11 and a 31% increase for adolescents aged 12 to 17. This increase in behavioral health visits places stress on EDs, which are better designed and staffed to assess and treat surgical and medical needs and often lack the staff and resources to handle behavioral health issues.
Recently, EDs have reached a breaking point due to a...
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