Emergency Department Visits for Suspected Suicide Attempts Among Persons Aged 12–25 Years Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic — United States, January 2019–May 2021

What is already known about this topic? During 2020, the proportion of mental health–related emergency department (ED) visits among adolescents aged 12–17 years increased 31% compared with that during 2019. What is added by this report? In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, ED visits for suspec...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report 2021-06, Vol.70 (24), p.888-894
Main Authors: Yard, Ellen, Radhakrishnan, Lakshmi, Ballesteros, Michael F, Sheppard, Michael, Gates, Abigail, Stein, Zachary, Hartnett, Kathleen, Kite-Powell, Aaron, Rodgers, Loren, Adjemian, Jennifer, Idaikkadar, Nimi, Ivey-Stephenson, Asha, Martinez, Pedro, Law, Royal, Stone, Deborah M
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescents
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
Emergency medical care
Emergency medical services
Emergency service
Ethnicity
Full Report
Girls
Hospitals
Medical research
Mental health
Pandemics
Public health
Risk factors
Suicidal behavior
Suicide
Suicide prevention
Suicides & suicide attempts
Teenagers
Trends
Youth
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Summary:What is already known about this topic? During 2020, the proportion of mental health–related emergency department (ED) visits among adolescents aged 12–17 years increased 31% compared with that during 2019. What is added by this report? In May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, ED visits for suspected suicide attempts began to increase among adolescents aged 12–17 years, especially girls. During February 21–March 20, 2021, suspected suicide attempt ED visits were 50.6% higher among girls aged 12–17 years than during the same period in 2019; among boys aged 12–17 years, suspected suicide attempt ED visits increased 3.7%. What are the implications for public health practice? Suicide prevention requires a comprehensive approach that is adapted during times of infrastructure disruption, involves multisectoral partnerships and implements evidence-based strategies to address the range of factors influencing suicide risk.
ISSN:0149-2195
1545-861X
DOI:10.15585/mmwr.mm7024e1