Has Anything Changed in the Frequency of Emergency Department Visits and the Profile of the Adolescent Seeking Emergency Mental Care during the COVID-19 Pandemic?
Valentina Ferro,
Roberto Averna,
Manuel Murciano,
Umberto Raucci,
Sebastian Cristaldi,
Anna Maria Caterina Musolino,
Maria Pontillo,
Nicoletta Della Vecchia,
Milena Labonia,
Mara Pisani,
Maria Laura Pucciarini,
Raffaella Nacca,
Antonino Reale,
Stefano Vicari,
Alberto Villani,
Massimiliano Raponi
Affiliations
Valentina Ferro
Department of Emergency, Acceptance and General Pediatrics, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Roberto Averna
Child and Adolescence Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Manuel Murciano
Department of Emergency, Acceptance and General Pediatrics, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Umberto Raucci
Department of Emergency, Acceptance and General Pediatrics, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Sebastian Cristaldi
Department of Emergency, Acceptance and General Pediatrics, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Anna Maria Caterina Musolino
Department of Emergency, Acceptance and General Pediatrics, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Maria Pontillo
Child and Adolescence Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Nicoletta Della Vecchia
Department of Emergency, Acceptance and General Pediatrics, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Milena Labonia
Child and Adolescence Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Mara Pisani
Department of Emergency, Acceptance and General Pediatrics, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Maria Laura Pucciarini
Child and Adolescence Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Raffaella Nacca
Department of Emergency, Acceptance and General Pediatrics, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Antonino Reale
Department of Emergency, Acceptance and General Pediatrics, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Stefano Vicari
Child and Adolescence Neuropsychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Alberto Villani
Department of Emergency, Acceptance and General Pediatrics, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
Massimiliano Raponi
Medical Direction, Bambino Gesù Children’s Hospital, IRCCS, 00165 Rome, Italy
We described changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in the frequency of Emergency Department (ED) visits for mental health disorders (MHDs) in adolescents on a wider temporal range—that is, not just “the waves” of the pandemic—and characterized the profile of the adolescent seeking emergency psychiatric care. We conducted a retrospective longitudinal study by analyzing ED visits for MHDs from 10 March 2019 to 10 March 2021. A total of 1407 ED visits for MHDs were registered: 702 in the pre-COVID-19 and 707 in the COVID-19 period. The cumulative incidence of ED visits for MHDs was 1.22% in the pre-COVID-19 period and 1.77% in the COVID-19 period, with a statistically significant difference (p p = 0.02), and the odds of transfer from other hospitals decreased by 71% (p p p = 0.001). Regarding psychopathology, the likelihood of attempted suicide increased by 74% during the pandemic (p = 0.02). The rate of mood and eating disorders grew significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic period (p = 0.005 and p = 0.031, respectively). Monitoring ED visits for MHDs and understanding changes in the profile of adolescents presenting to ED helps to reinforce the role of ED in identifying special clinical needs for these vulnerable patients in case of a future public health crisis.
