Emergency Department Screening for Adolescent Mental Health Disorders: The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How It Could and Should Be Done

Mental health problems are a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among pediatric populations. Screening for mental health can result in earlier identification and increase treatment and improve outcomes. The emergency department (ED) is an ideal site for such screening. Pediatric ED patients are known to be at higher risk for mental health problems. For many, an ED visit is one of the few opportunities to identify and intervene with these children and adolescents. A number of brief, efficient screening instruments have been developed for the ED setting. Screening for mental health problems is both feasible and acceptable to ED patients, parents, and caregivers.