U.S. Mental Health Emergency Department Visit Rates by Demographics

Over 6,900 healthcare facilities across 50 states contribute monthly data on mental health-related emergency department visits. The dataset provides visit rates per 100,000 ED visits, calculated for the overall population and within demographic groups like age, sex, and race/ethnicity. It is updated monthly by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Use Cases

• Analyze trends in mental health-related ED visit rates across demographic groups like age, sex, and race/ethnicity.
• Model the monthly rate of ED visits for specific mental health conditions as a fraction of total monthly visits.
• Monitor public health trends by tracking chief complaint and diagnosis code patterns related to mental health crises.
• Compare visit rates for acute mental health crises against visits where a mental health condition was a secondary factor.

Strengths

• Data originates from over 6,900 contributing healthcare facilities, representing more than 80% of U.S. emergency departments.
• Provides national coverage across 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam.
• Data is updated monthly, offering timely surveillance of public health trends.

Limitations

• Monthly counts below 10 are suppressed for confidentiality, potentially obscuring trends in small demographic groups or rare conditions.
• Rates are dynamically adjusted as electronic health records are updated, which may introduce minor retrospective changes.
• The dataset contains aggregated rates, not individual patient records, limiting granular analysis.

Provenance

Source

United States Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Collection Method

De-identified data on chief complaint, diagnosis codes, and patient characteristics sent from emergency departments to state/local health departments and shared with CDC.

Freshness

Updated monthly.

Geography

United States (50 states, District of Columbia, and Guam).