“…First, these patients are more difficult to treat. Compared to emergency psychiatry patients who do not abuse substances, those with substance abuse problems often require higher levels of behavioral management, spend more time in the psychiatric emergency room, and are more likely to present as suicidal [12]. Second, emergency psychiatry patients with comorbid substance abuse problems are typically more costly to treat; this is because they often utilize significantly more emergency department services, including a greater number of emergency department readmissions, as compared to those with no co-occurring substance use issues [13,14].…”