Severe mental illness and emergency department service use nationally in the Veterans Health Administration

Patients with psychiatric diagnoses have been reported to have greater numbers of ED visits than other health system users [1]. Studies have shown that patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder [2], major depressive disorder [3,4], posttraumatic stress disorder [5], anxiety disorder [4], and substance use disorders [6,7] have all been found to have high rates of ED use. Whether this greater level of ED use reflects additional needs, poor access to medical or psychiatric services, or unaddressed psychosocial needs, has not been systematically examined.

Source: General Hospital Psychiatry - November 15, 2016 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Stephanie V. Ng, Robert A. Rosenheck Tags: Research paper Source Type: research