Emergency Department Visits Related to Suicidal Ideation or Suicide Attempt
HCUP Statistical Brief #263
Suicide is a major and growing public health concern in the United States, ranking among the top 10 leading causes of death.
Emergency Department Visits Related to Suicidal Ideation or Suicide Attempt, a statistical brief from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, presents statistics on Emergency departments (ED) visits related to suicidal ideation or suicide attempt among individuals aged 5 years and older.
Suicide is preventable. Suicidal thoughts or actions are indications of extreme distress and require immediate intervention. Emergency departments (EDs) are an important site of care to identify individuals at risk, to provide timely support and intervention, and, in some cases, to facilitate entry into more intensive treatment. Information on trends in ED utilization related to suicidal ideation or suicide attempt can help inform resource needs and target prevention efforts.
Highlights:
- Between 2008 and 2017, the rate of ED visits related to suicidal ideation or suicide attempt increased for all age groups.
- In 2017, the rate of ED visits related to suicidal ideation or suicide attempt was highest among those aged 15-19 (952.5 per 100,000 population), 20-24 (719.3), and 25-44 (642.0) years.
- Males overall had a higher rate of ED visits related to suicidal ideation or suicide attempt than did females (527.8 vs. 445.3 per 100,000 population). However, females had the higher rate among two age groups: 10-14 years (673.2 vs. 322.1 per 100,000 population) and 15-19 years (1,196.9 vs. 719.6).
- Medicaid or Medicare (for patients aged <65 years) was more frequently the primary expected payer for ED visits related to suicidal ideation or suicide attempt compared with all other ED visits (52.1 vs. 35.4 percent).
- In 2017, 64.4 percent of ED visits related to suicidal ideation or suicide attempt resulted in an admission to the hospital or transfer to another facility versus 17.1 percent for all other ED visits.
- The rates of ED visits related to suicidal ideation or suicide attempt varied by State and by urban/rural area within the State. Nearly half of States had the highest rate in small/medium metropolitan areas.
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