Child and Adolescent Emergency Psychiatry: A Review of Recent Developments

Abstract

Child and adolescent emergency psychiatry is an important but often isolated field. Borrowing from or integrating with emergency psychiatry, emergency medicine, and pediatric emergency medicine, this field has struggled to develop a robust research agenda. Despite these challenges, the past several years have seen many significant developments. Paralleling adult research, extensive medical screening and clearance for children and adolescents is now shown to be unproductive. Bullying, especially online bullying, and targeting of sexual minority youth are increasingly recognized as a risk for suicide and amenable to assessment in the emergency setting. Research continues to point to firearm access as a major risk factor for suicide despite unusual legal challenges in assessing for access. Finally, while dedicated pediatric psychiatric emergency services remain a gold standard, new alternatives are being identified to provide access to specialized expertise for other settings.