Admittedly, the trend is documented here for the United States, but it can very probably be generalized to all rich countries: diagnoses of mental disorders in children are constantly increasing and at an alarming rate. Data presented at the 2018 American Academy of Pediatrics Conference is a wake-up call that commits to expanding access to mental health resources for young patients in our healthcare systems.
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Because the trend is based on the number of children and adolescents who arrive in emergency services for mental health reasons. This trend continues a steady and alarming increase over the period 2012-2016, ultimately confirmed by the number of diagnoses of mental illness made. This result is all the more alarming because access to mental health services for children can be difficult, and in particular for children from ethnic minorities, underlines the main author, Dr. Monika K. Goyal.
Mental disorders in the "leading pack" of pediatric diseases: here, the prevalence is estimated at 17.1 million (American) children suffering from a psychiatric disorder. About 2-5% of all emergency department visits by children are related to mental health issues. By analyzing data from the Pediatric Health Information System, covering consultations at more than 45 children's hospitals, the researchers find that:
- in 2012, 50.4 visits to emergency departments per 100,000 children concerned mental health problems;
- in 2016, this was the case for 78.5 visits/100,000;
- during this same five-year period, children and adolescents diagnosed with a mental health problem are characterized by:
- a mean age was 13.3 years;
- 55% covered by public insurance;
- at 78.4/100,000 African Americans.
In summary, these visits to the Emergency Department related to mental health disorders mainly affect minorities and the poorest households. These data therefore underline the urgency of strengthening access, particularly for these minorities, to mental health care services.
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