Increase in Referrals of Children and Adolescents to the Psychiatric Emergency Room Is Evident Only in the Second Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic—Evaluating 9156 Visits from 2010 through 2021 in a Single Psychiatric Emergency Room

Chen Dror, Nimrod Hertz-Palmor, Yael Yadan-Barzilai, Talia Saker, Maya Kritchmann-Lupo and Yuval Bloch
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Chen Dror: Shalvata Mental Health Center, Hod Hasharon 45100, Israel
Nimrod Hertz-Palmor: The Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division, Sheba Medical Center, Edmund and Lily Safra’s Children Hospital, Ramat Gan 52621, Israel
Yael Yadan-Barzilai: Shalvata Mental Health Center, Hod Hasharon 45100, Israel
Talia Saker: Shalvata Mental Health Center, Hod Hasharon 45100, Israel
Maya Kritchmann-Lupo: Shalvata Mental Health Center, Hod Hasharon 45100, Israel
Yuval Bloch: Shalvata Mental Health Center, Hod Hasharon 45100, Israel

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-8

Abstract: Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic affected the wellbeing of children and adolescents. The psychiatric emergency room (ER) is the hub of psychiatric emergencies and reflects clinically significant mental problems. Previous studies compared 2019 and 2020 and observed a decline in ER referrals. The current study focused on the continuous trend of referrals from 2010 to the end of 2021. Method: In our observational retrospective study, we procured data from 9156 child and adolescent referrals to our psychiatric ER. The comparison was made based on similar months of each year. Results: There was a significant positive trend in monthly referrals between 2010 and 2021, representing a similar increase in referrals per month in comparison to that month in the preceding year ( unstandardized β = 4.21, 95% CI = 3.44 to 4.98, p < 0.0001). Between March 2020 and February 2021 (monthly visits = 72.5 + 16.6 [median = 79.5], annual referrals = 870), we observed no additive effect beyond this general trend after controlling for population growth. Conversely, between March and December 2021 (monthly referrals = 106.1 + 31.8 [median = 105.5], overall referrals = 1061) we observed a significant additive effect beyond the projected incline, as predicted by previous years ( β = 21.61, 95% CI = 12.12 to 31.06, p < 0.0001). Conclusions: The first year of the COVID-19 pandemic was no different from the continuous decade long rise of referrals to the children and adolescents’ psychiatric ER. Conversely, the second year showed an additional incline beyond the general trend. The complexity in this rising need demands the awareness of clinicians and policy makers alike.

Keywords: COVID-19; psychiatric emergency room; pediatric mental health (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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