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Understanding Regional Mental Health Care-Seeking Behavior During the COVID-19 Pandemic-An Important Aspect of Addressing Resource Needs.

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Saunders describe trends in pediatric and nonpediatric emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations for acute mental health–related concerns among children and adolescents during the first 18 months of the COVID-19… Click to show full abstract

Saunders describe trends in pediatric and nonpediatric emergency department (ED) visits and hospitalizations for acute mental health–related concerns among children and adolescents during the first 18 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, Canada. During the conduct of the study, observedEDvisitsandhospitalizationsamongpediatricpatientspresentingtofreestandingpediatric hospitals paralleled predicted rates based on 3 years’ worth of data preceding the pandemic. However, in the latter months of the study, ED visits and hospitalizations at pediatric hospitals increased substantially. In contrast, ED visits to nonpediatric hospitals decreased substantially, and hospitalization rates remained at or below expected rates for most of the pandemic. The authors state that “Accurate data reports are needed to adequately support pediatric mental health care needs.” One may question how trends in care-seeking behavior from a single geographic region contribute to generalizable knowledge. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted unprecedented increases in the need for pediatric mental health resources and has created a strain on the mental health care infrastructure in ways unimaginable just 3 years ago. Although the study could not show causality for the shifts in ED visits and hospitalizations, it nonetheless provides valuable insights that may allow pediatric hospitals to create more nimble strategies and bolster advocacy within public health and government settings to better serve the mental health needs of patients when future strains occur in the pediatric mental health infrastructure. The has increased exposure to environmental and social stressors among children. School closures, online education, and suspension of outdoor athletic activities have led to social isolation that has been associated with increased depression and anxiety symptoms. health. extreme of risk of physical and of and violence Saunders indicate, published estimatesoftheeffectsoftheCOVID-19pandemiconpediatricmentalhealthvary.However,arecent

Keywords: health; care seeking; covid pandemic; mental health; health care

Journal Title: JAMA network open
Year Published: 2022

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