TABLE 1.
Age-Related Characteristics of Psychiatric ED Visits Among Youth in the United States
| 6–11 y | 12–17 y | 18–24 y | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count of total visits (weighted) | 35 497 171 | 39 393 222 | 81 201 713 | 156 092 106 |
| Count of psychiatric ED visits (weighted) | 825 616 | 3 881 608 | 8 434 362 | 13 141 586 |
| Estimated youth in the United States, 2011–2015 | 123 138 640 | 125 212 948 | 154 601 355 | 402 952 943 |
| Psychiatric ED visits, % of all visits (count) | ||||
| 2011 | 2.0 (133 225) | 9.0 (727 111) | 9.4 (1 655 670) | 7.8 (2 516 006) |
| 2012 | 2.0 (132 235) | 8.2 (607 112) | 9.7 (1 575 440) | 7.6 (2 314 787) |
| 2013 | 2.8 (179 852) | 9.4 (675 333) | 9.8 (1 507 892) | 8.1 (2 363 077) |
| 2014 | 2.3 (181 471) | 9.1 (755 863) | 10.7 (1 770 647) | 8.3 (2 707 981) |
| 2015 | 2.5 (198 833) | 13.2 (1 116 189) | 12.5 (1 924 713) | 10.1 (3 239 735) |
| Psychiatric ED visits per 1000 US youth | ||||
| 2011 | 5.4 | 28.9 | 54.0 | 31.3 |
| 2012 | 5.4 | 24.2 | 50.9 | 28.7 |
| 2013 | 7.3 | 27.0 | 48.5 | 29.3 |
| 2014 | 7.3 | 30.2 | 57.0 | 33.5 |
| 2015 | 8.0 | 44.6 | 62.5 | 40.2 |
| Region, % of psychiatric ED visits | ||||
| Northeast | 29.6 | 20.6 | 18.8 | 20.0 |
| Midwest | 22.4 | 25.9 | 24.7 | 25.0 |
| South | 29.3 | 33.9 | 33.7 | 33.5 |
| West | 18.7 | 19.5 | 22.7 | 21.5 |
| Sex,* % | ||||
| Female | 28.4 | 56.7 | 49.7 | 50.0 |
| Male | 71.6 | 43.3 | 50.8 | 50.0 |
| Race, % | ||||
| Non-Hispanic White | 55.7 | 58.6 | 64.3 | 62.1 |
| Non-Hispanic African American | 22.9 | 19.4 | 19.7 | 19.8 |
| Hispanic | 16.5 | 19.8 | 13.8 | 15.8 |
| Non-Hispanic other | 4.9 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.3 |
| Insurance,* % | ||||
| Private | 32.2 | 38.6 | 32.5 | 34.3 |
| Public | 56.4 | 52.7 | 38.0 | 43.6 |
| Self-pay | 6.7 | 5.9 | 21.2 | 15.9 |
| Other | 4.6 | 2.8 | 8.3 | 6.4 |
| Visit on a weekend,* % | ||||
| No | 83.5 | 76.7 | 71.9 | 74.0 |
| Yes | 16.5 | 23.3 | 28.1 | 26.0 |
| Arrival time,* % | ||||
| Morning (<11 am) | 18.6 | 20.1 | 32.7 | 28.1 |
| Afternoon (11 am–4 pm) | 28.3 | 31.7 | 29.2 | 29.9 |
| Evening (5 pm–12 am) | 53.0 | 48.2 | 38.0 | 42.0 |
| Urgent,* % | ||||
| No | 34.3 | 21.9 | 33.5 | 30.1 |
| Yes | 65.7 | 78.1 | 66.5 | 69.9 |
| Arrive by ambulance,*% | ||||
| No | 85.9 | 78.7 | 71.2 | 25.6 |
| Yes | 14.1 | 21.3 | 28.8 | 74.4 |
| Length of visit, % | ||||
| <90 min | 18.5 | 17.4 | 21.9 | 20.4 |
| 90–179 min | 25.7 | 28.3 | 28.9 | 28.5 |
| 180–359 min | 36.9 | 30.5 | 28.3 | 29.4 |
| ≥6 h | 18.8 | 23.7 | 21.1 | 21.7 |
| Mental health provider seen,* % | ||||
| No | 84.5 | 75.1 | 87.4 | 83.5 |
| Yes | 15.4 | 24.9 | 12.6 | 16.5 |
| Admit to hospital,* % | ||||
| No | 81.6 | 74.6 | 84.3 | 81.3 |
| Yes or transfer to another hospital | 6.3 | 8.9 | 9.2 | 8.9 |
| Transfer or admit to a psychiatric facility | 12.1 | 16.4 | 6.5 | 9.8 |
| Any psychiatric diagnosis or RFV,*,a % | ||||
| Mood* | 45.4 | 62.7 | 48.5 | 52.5 |
| Behavior* | 42.3 | 19.7 | 8.2 | 13.7 |
| SUD* | 4.5 | 26.6 | 50.7 | 40.6 |
| Psychosis | 6.2 | 5.1 | 7.3 | 6.6 |
| Suicide attempt or self-injury* | 4.2 | 22.7 | 8.9 | 12.7 |
| Other* | 40.8 | 39.7 | 24.8 | 30.2 |
| Count of psychiatric diagnoses or RFVs, mean | 1.39 | 1.53 | 1.39 | 1.42 |
| Primary diagnosis is psychiatric,* % | ||||
| No | 37.9 | 23.3 | 38.9 | 34.2 |
| Yes | 62.1 | 76.7 | 61.1 | 65.8 |
a
Reflects the presence of any of the listed diagnoses or RFVs.
*
P < .05.