The Emergency Department Is Not the System: Youth Mental Health and the Need for a Continuum of Care

16/06/2026

AI Summary

Dramatic rise in pediatric mental health emergency visits since the 1990s indicates an ongoing youth mental health crisis.
Urgent need for a comprehensive continuum of care with accessible outpatient services regardless of acuity, payor, or geography.
Fully realised continuum must fund prevention to inpatient care, deliver evidence based treatments, and build a skilled behavioural health workforce.

AI Summary

The dramatic rise in pediatric mental health visits to emergency departments that started in the 1990s continues, reflecting an ongoing youth mental health crisis.

There is an urgent need for a comprehensive care continuum with accessible outpatient services capable of identifying and supporting the mental health needs of children regardless of acuity, payor, and geographic setting.

A fully realized child mental health continuum of care meets children where they are; adequately funds services from the outpatient clinic to the inpatient unit; delivers evidence-based treatments targeted to reduce mental health symptoms; and supports the development of a skilled behavioral health workforce.

Basic summary

Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am. 2026 Jul;35(3):417-427. doi: 10.1016/j.chc.2026.03.002. Epub 2026 May 19.

ABSTRACT

The dramatic rise in pediatric mental health visits to emergency departments that started in the 1990s continues, reflecting an ongoing youth mental health crisis. There is an urgent need for a comprehensive care continuum with accessible outpatient services capable of identifying and supporting the mental health needs of children regardless of acuity, payor, and geographic setting. A fully realized child mental health continuum of care meets children where they are; adequately funds services from the outpatient clinic to the inpatient unit; delivers evidence-based treatments targeted to reduce mental health symptoms; and supports the development of a skilled behavioral health workforce.

PMID:42297544 | DOI:10.1016/j.chc.2026.03.002

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