A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that Black adults in the United States were more likely than white adults to go to a hospital emergency room for immediate help when dealing with a mental health concern.
According to the research, Black adults went to an emergency department for a mental health issue at a rate of 97 visits per 1,000 adults each year.
That is nearly double the national average, which is 53 mental health-related emergency department visits per 1,000 adults overall.
Researchers generated the information by analyzing hospital data from 2018 to 2020.
“From 2018 to 2020, an average of 774,508 mental health-related emergency department visits occurred per year among adults in the United States, accounting for 12.3% of all emergency department visits made by adults,” according to the study.
The annual rate of 97 mental health-related emergency department visits per 1,000 adults for Black adults was significantly higher when compared to white adults, who had about 53 visits per 1,000.
“Research has shown that Hispanic and non-Hispanic Black adults are less likely to receive routine treatment for mental health disorders,” the study found. “In the absence of routine care, patients with mental health disorders often receive care related to a mental health disorder in emergency departments.”
However, the figures for Hispanic adults were lower than all other groups, with 36 mental health-related emergency department visits per 1,000 adults.
Some of the more common mental health issues seen in emergency departments included substance-use disorders, anxiety-related disorders, mood disorders and schizophrenia.
“Patients arrived by ambulance at nearly 32.9% of all mental health-related emergency department visits among adults, with no significant differences by race,” the study found.
People who went to the emergency room for a mental health concern waited at least one hour to be seen at 14% of all such visits.
“Patients had visit durations of four hours or more at 44.4% of mental health-related emergency department visits, with higher percentages among Hispanic (51.3%) and non-Hispanic Black (48.6%) patients than non-Hispanic white patients (41.1%),” the study found.
Patients were admitted or transferred to a hospital at 21% for mental health-related emergency department visits.
