141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

290175
Emergency department visitation for mental health related issues in San Diego county

Monday, November 4, 2013

Joshua Smith, PhD, MPH , Emergency Medical Services, County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, San Diego, CA
Alicia Sampson, MPH, CPH , Health & Human Services Agency, Public Health Services, County of San Diego, San Diego, CA
Leslie Ray, MPH, MPPA, MA , Emergency Medical Services, County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, San Diego, CA
Isabel Corcos, PhD, MPH , County of San Diego, Emergency Medical Services, County of San Diego, San Diego, CA
Barbara M. Stepanski, MPH , Emergency Medical Services, County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, San Diego, CA
Background: The County of San Diego, Community Health Statistics Unit prepares four ‘Community Profiles'; chronic disease, communicable disease, maternal/child health, and injury. In the coming year, a fifth profile, mental health, will be added. It is important to establish baseline mental health measures as this Community Profile is developed. Methods: We used 2010 – 2011 San Diego County emergency department (ED) data from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. Mental health categories were determined according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. Results: In San Diego County, there was an 8% population-controlled increase in mental health-related ED visitation from 2010 to 2011. Combining the two years, there were 116,168 mental health-related ED visits, representing 8.3% of all visits and an overall rate of 1,870 visits per 100,000 persons. Females had higher rates of visits for self-inflicted injuries, as well as adjustment, anxiety, dementia/cognitive, and mood disorders. Males had higher rates for childhood/adolescent, alcohol-related, attention-deficit, schizophrenic/psychotic, substance-related, and developmental disorders. Those younger than 18 had the highest rates of childhood/adolescent, attention-deficit, impulse-control, and personality disorders. The highest rates of substance-related disorders and self-inflicted injuries occurred in the 18-29 age-group. Those aged 30-64 had the highest rates of mood, schizophrenic/psychotic, and alcohol-related disorders. The highest rates of dementia/cognitive and developmental disorders occurred in the 65+ age-group. Conclusions: San Diego County exhibits various differences in mental health-related ED visitation, which should be studied further in attempting to describe and address the overall mental health situation.

Learning Areas:
Biostatistics, economics
Epidemiology
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Assess the overall visitation to emergency departments for mental health issues. Differentiate the rate of mental health related emergency department visitation by gender, age, and other factors. Define a basline mental health situation in San Diego County for upcoming assessment programs.

Keywords: Emergency Department/Room, Mental Health Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the County of San Diego epidemiologist responsible for emergency department discharge data and I participate in several behavioral health coalitions within the county.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.