Youth mental health crises requiring emergency department care grew during the COVID-19 pandemic and have remained elevated since, according to a recent study conducted by Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian investigators.
The study pulled data comparing rates of pediatric mental health visits in the emergency departments of five medical centers in New York City pre-pandemic through five pandemic waves.
Results showed that each wave experienced higher rates of youth mental health-related visits compared to before the pandemic. Eating disorder visits saw the biggest increase, experiencing a 546% growth over the expected rate in the first wave.
Anxiety-related visits were roughly 75% and 66% higher in the first and second wave, while substance use disorder visits increased 62% in the second wave, 87% in the fourth wave and 131% in the fifth wave.