US: Youth hospitalizations for suicidal thoughts rises 59% in 5 years: report

Nov 19, 2022 by Jill

By Samantha Kamman, Christian Post:

Suicide rates and mental health-related hospital visits among youth were rising before the COVID-19 pandemic but surged even higher during the lockdowns, according to a new study.

The study, published in the journal Pediatrics of the American Academy of Pediatrics, analyzed administrative data for emergency department visits coded for suicidal thoughts and ideation from January 2016 to June 2021.

The analysts examined information from Illinois-based hospitals Northwestern University and the Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, and their study sample consisted of children ages 5 to 19.

According to the results, from 2016 through 2017 to 2019 through 2021, the number of emergency room visits for suicidal thoughts increased 59%. The number of visits where suicidal ideation was the primary diagnosis increased from 34.6% to 44.3%.

For youth whose principal diagnosis was suicidal ideation, they were 84% less likely to be hospitalized for it. However, they had a higher chance of hospitalization if coded for another mental health disorder, including anxiety, depression and substance abuse.

While hospital visits for suicidal thoughts increased in Illinois in 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdowns appear to have contributed to the rise. The study shows that hospitalizations rose 57% between the pre-pandemic fall and the fall of 2020.

Read here