HOLLYWOOD, FL – More than one million emergency room visits each year involve children and adolescents with mental health issues, and the number is growing, according to a study recently released by the CDC.
Nationally, there has been an eight per cent increase in emergency department visits for children with mental health issues since 2015, but here in Southeast Florida, the numbers are even higher.
“It’s constantly shifting the numbers so to say it’s a trend for sure is the right way, we’re seeing an upward trend of kids coming in,” said Oscar Gonzalez, director of social work at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital.
He said that since 2020, there’s been a 21 per cent increase in the number of parents who have brought their children to the emergency department for a mental health crisis or intervention.
“Some don’t always need that crisis level, but they need that reference point of where they can go,” he said.
So what’s driving this trend?
“One specific reason that I think is really driving this is that a lot of people have been focused on the pandemic, but we want to know if we’re starting to focus on what’s called the pandemic paradox, all the things that we did that mitigated the dangers and risks of life-saving interactions when the pandemic hit us, if now, those sequelae are starting to show up in an increase in mental health as an increase in mental health in young people. And that’s always been there, but now with all of this, it’s actually increased the need for mental health,” Gonzalez said.
In 2022, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital added 24-hour mental health care and additional staff to handle the increased volume.
“At Memorial here and at Joe DiMaggio, we look at what we call the social determinants of health, which means we look at the external factors, the environmental factors that cause stress, and that’s always been the goal, and when the pandemic hits, we start mobilising more services,” Gonzalez said.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, many mental health problems in children begin to emerge around the age of 14, not only because of hormonal changes but also because of a change in environment.
The transition from elementary school to high school often leads to increased social and academic pressures.
