TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2015//
TI  - Mental health screening among adolescents and young adults in the emergency department
JO  - Pediatric emergency care
A1  - Nager, Alan L.
A1  - Pham, Phung K.
A1  - Grajower, Daniel N.
A1  - Gold, Jeffrey I.
SP  - 5
EP  - 9
VL  - 33
IS  - 1
N2  - OBJECTIVE: To determine if a new, non-validated mental health screener can detect the prevalence of alcohol/drug abuse, traumatic exposure, and behavioral symptoms in adolescents and young adults seeking care in a pediatric emergency department (ED) for medical complaints. <br><br>METHODS: An 11-item mental health screener (Emergency Department Distress Response Screener [ED-DRS] investigator developed) was created. Patients 12 years or older seen for medical complaints were assessed by physicians using the ED-DRS. Data were analyzed using the Kuder-Richardson Formula 20, χ test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Spearman correlation. <br><br>RESULTS: Among 992 ED patients, mean age was 15.11 ± 2.10 years (46.2% boys; 53.8% girls). Approximately 77.9% were Hispanic/Latino. Symptomatic patients (S) answered "yes" to at least 1 ED-DRS item; asymptomatic patients answered "no" to all items. The S patients comprised 47.5% of the sample; asymptomatic patients comprised 52.5%. Among S patients, alcohol/drug abuse frequency was 14%. The traumatic exposure frequencies included: 33.5% physically or emotionally traumatized, 29.3% bullied, 21.2% physically abused, 8.1% touched inappropriately and 7.0% exposed to domestic violence. Behavioral symptom frequencies included: 33.8% depressed mood, 30.4% anxiety, 23.8% high energy behavior, 6.6% hallucinations, and 6.2% suicidal/homicidal ideation. <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Although patients present to the ED with medical complaints, they may be at risk for concomitant mental health problems potentially discoverable using the ED-DRS.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0749-5161
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/PEC.0000000000000529
ID  - ref1
ER  -