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Snapshot of a Child and Adolescent Psychiatric ER during Pandemic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2022

F. Arain ,
A. Tohid ,
M. Jawad ,
A. Rashid ,
P. Korenis  and
J. Sanchez-Lacay
F. Arain*
Affiliation:
BronxCare Health System Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Bronx, United States of America
A. Tohid
Affiliation:
University of Southern California, Psychiatry, Los Angeles, United States of America
M. Jawad
Affiliation:
King Edward Medical University, Psychiatry, Lahore, Pakistan
A. Rashid
Affiliation:
BronxCare Health System Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Bronx, United States of America
P. Korenis
Affiliation:
University of Southern California, Psychiatry, Bronx, United States of America
J. Sanchez-Lacay
Affiliation:
BronxCare Health System Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Bronx, United States of America
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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Introduction

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted numerous fundamental systems ranging from businesses to education system. The long-term consequences of the Pandemic, namely virtual learning and prolonged social isolation are coming to fruition in Child/Adolescent-Psychiatric Emergency-Rooms (CAP-ER). Discontinuity of in-person attendance of schools has poorly impacted the mental health of children and adolescents (C&A) of low-socioeconomic areas, who often rely on schools for meals, physical activity, and mental-health support. An increase in agitation, suicidal ideation, and a declining school performance has been observed in such situations.

Objectives

The primary objective of this study is to explore the increase in these symptoms as the presenting complaint in the psychiatric ER.

Methods

Between April to June 2021 a cross-sectional quality improvement (QI) study was done on children presenting to CAP-ER BronxCare-Hospital NY with psychiatric complaints. Concomitant substance use disorder was determined using CRAFT questionnaire.

Results

Our data comprised 209 patients (84 M/125 F) with 79 children and 130 adolescents. Ethnicity: 116 Hispanics (56%), 84 African Americans (40%), and 9 others. The most common presenting complaints were aggression (111, 53%), suicidal ideation/suicide attempt (50, 24%), acute exacerbation of chronic illness (7, 3.3%), accidental overdosage (5, 2.3%) and others (36, 17.4). Marijuana was the most used substance (34 patients).

Conclusions

There has been a surge in severity of presentation of psychiatric disorders among children and adolescents, aggression so far, the most prevalent. Further studies are needed to delineate the social links with this high emergent load and pandemic.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 65 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 30th European Congress of Psychiatry , June 2022 , pp. S427 - S428
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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