RICHMOND, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – A Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Association analysis shows the number of pediatric patient ER visits for anxiety and depression continued to rise into 2023… even after the pandemic emergency was declared over. VHHA’s Julian Walker says while demand for hospital-based services during the pandemic declined pretty much across-the-board, an exception was an increase in mental health and substance abuse services. Walker says their analysis of inpatient hospital data shows from the first quarter of 2020 to the second quarter of 2023, the highest volume of pediatric mental health visits was the highest in the first quarter of 2023. Virginia hospitals average approximately 3,054 pediatric emergency department visits for anxiety and depression each quarter, with most of the diagnoses related to unspecified anxiety disorder.

Walker says adult mental health visits were also up during the period.

An entire VHHA release is below:

“A VHHA analysis of inpatient hospital data spanning the first quarter of 2020 through the second quarter of 2023 shows that the number of pediatric patient (ages 0-18) emergency department visits with anxiety and depression diagnoses have increased statewide. The highest volume was recorded in the first quarter of 2023, with numbers surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Virginia hospitals average approximately 3,054 pediatric emergency department visits for anxiety and depression each quarter, with most of the diagnoses related to unspecified anxiety disorder (33 percent), single episodes of unspecified major depressive disorders (33 percent), unspecified depression (17.5 percent), generalized anxiety disorder (6 percent), unspecified PTSD (5 percent), and panic disorders (5 percent).

The analysis also provide a breakdown of patients by coverage type – Medicaid, commercial insurance, government payor, and self-pay – as well as patient gender proportions. The data indicates the emergency department visits during the period of this analysis skewed female (68.74% percent of visit, compared to 31.22 percent of visits involving male patients), and that the distribution skews towards older pediatric female patients between the ages of 12 to 17 (the distribution of visits for male patients is more even across the pediatric age range, with only a slight skew towards teenage years).”