Building a Better Psychiatric ED: A Focus on Special Populations-View Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

The video highlights a significant crisis in child and adolescent psychiatry, with a sharp rise in psychiatric ER visits by children, unlike the stable volumes in regular pediatric ERs. This trend points to an increasing problem, exacerbated by alarming suicide statistics among youth and young adults. Various organizations declared a national state of emergency in 2021 in response. Special populations, including those with autism, BIPOC, and LGBTQ individuals, often experience prolonged ER stays, emphasizing the need for attention to their unique challenges.<br /><br />The transcripts delve into issues of stigma and cultural barriers affecting mental health help-seeking behaviors within the Asian-American and broader minority communities. It discusses the underrepresentation of minorities in medical professions, along with disparities in how mental health symptoms are perceived and treated across racial and ethnic groups.<br /><br />Constructive solutions include increasing minority representation in healthcare, expanding mental health service capacity, particularly in underserved communities, and leveraging resources like school-based mental health services.<br /><br />Emergency room psychiatrists are encouraged to act as advocates to ensure comprehensive care for neurodivergent individuals while highlighting the importance of anti-racist practice adjustments. Gender-affirming care and culturally competent resources are underscored as essential for LGBTQ and minority patients.<br /><br />The presentation suggests improving the psychiatric emergency department infrastructure such as adopting MPATH units and staffing innovations, coupled with urgent and bridge care solutions, as discussed in exemplars like the MPATH model and Children's National successes, to reduce ER boarding and better serve vulnerable populations effectively.

Keywords

child psychiatry crisis

psychiatric ER visits

youth suicide statistics

national state of emergency

autism ER stays

BIPOC challenges

LGBTQ mental health

stigma cultural barriers

minority underrepresentation

mental health disparities

school-based services

anti-racist practices

MPATH model