title: Repeated use of psychiatric emergency services by children.
abstract: In this study, the repeat utilization of child psychiatric emergency services was examined. There are patients who use psychiatric emergency services repeatedly, and these patients represent a significant proportion of child psychiatric emergencies seen in emergency rooms. Repeat patients were more likely to threaten to harm others, have a diagnosis of adjustment disorder, conduct or oppositional disorder and be under the care of a child welfare agency. They were significantly more likely than the one-time patients to be less compliant with outpatient follow-up, admitted to hospital more often, needed more social support and had greater difficulty remaining in a residential treatment setting. Intervention in the emergency room did not appear to change the way they used emergency services.
authors.affiliation: University of Ottawa, Ontario.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Turgay
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mouldey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004637:Emergency Services, Psychiatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006300:Health Services Misuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology; D012189:Retrospective Studies