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. 2023 Mar 1;74(3):312-315.
doi: 10.1176/appi.ps.202100608. Epub 2022 Sep 27.

Racial Differences in Emergency Department Visit Characteristics and Management of Preadolescents at Risk of Suicide

Carol Vidal  1 , Thuy L Ngo  1 , Holly C Wilcox  1 , Christopher J Hammond  1 , John V Campo  1 , Erin O'Donnell  1 , Leticia M Ryan  1
Affiliations

Racial Differences in Emergency Department Visit Characteristics and Management of Preadolescents at Risk of Suicide

Carol Vidal et al. Psychiatr Serv. .

Abstract

Objective: Suicide rates and frequency of pediatric emergency department (ED) visits for suicidal thoughts and behaviors have increased among Black preadolescents in the United States in recent years. This study examined whether characteristics of ED visits and treatment management of preadolescents with suicidal thoughts and behaviors differed by race.

Methods: An electronic medical record query identified patients ages 8-12 (N=504) who visited a pediatric ED with a psychiatric-related chief complaint in 2019. The authors examined suicidal thoughts and behaviors that were reported with the Ask Suicide-Screening Questions tool, ED clinical impression, and ED disposition overall and by race.

Results: Compared with other racial groups, Black preadolescents were less likely to report suicidal thoughts, despite equivalent lifetime histories of suicide attempts, and were more likely to be brought to the ED by police and discharged (instead of being admitted to inpatient psychiatric care).

Conclusions: Research to better understand racial disparities in suicide risk among preadolescents can inform prevention efforts.

Keywords: Black children; Child psychiatry/general; Emergency psychiatry; emergency department; preadolescents; suicide prevention.

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Conflict of interest statement

Dr. Hammond serves on the scientific advisory board of Forbes & Manhattan. The other authors report no financial relationships with commercial interests.

References

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