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WISCONSIN — Over the past decade, the number of UW Health Kids emergency department visits each month for mental health reasons has steadily increased, officials said Thursday. But even more remarkable is the surge in visits since 2020.
According to UW Health, in 2012, about 15 patients a month came to the pediatric emergency department for psychiatric care. However, in 2022, over 40 visits per month were recorded. Most of the reasons are due to suicidal ideation, drug or alcohol abuse, or overdose, says Dr. Allie Hurst.
“Children are presented to dangerous situations every day,” said Hirst, medical director of pediatric emergency care at UW Health Kids and assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
According to UW Health, it had the most visitors under the age of 14 in the past four years. The visitation rate for children aged 14 to her 17 is still high, and visitor numbers have remained stable since 2018.
But UW Health isn’t the only emergency room noticing an increase in these types of visits. A recent article from the American Academy of Pediatrics found that out of 205 Illinois hospitals analyzed, emergency visits for suicidal ideation increased nearly 60% between 2016 and 2021.
Shanda Wells, a pediatric behavioral health specialist at UW Health, said the underlying cause of the increase in visits is unknown, but several factors, including poverty, sexual orientation, gender identity, and racism. It’s possible it’s related.
“Long-term effects on adolescents’ mental health, such as loneliness and hopelessness, also play a large role in suicide risk,” she said.
Wells also cautioned that the COVID-19 pandemic is a potential reason. This is due to the period of isolation and loneliness many felt during that time.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the second leading cause of death among 10- to 14-year-olds.
Those experiencing suicidal thoughts, or who know someone contemplating suicide, can dial the 988 hotline or talk to their doctor, Wells said.
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