Emergency departments report increase in young children with mental health crises

More children in the United States are arriving at hospital emergency departments with serious mental health problems. Some are as young as eight years old and are having thoughts of suicide.

Doctors say a mental health crisis can mean a child wants to hurt themselves, or feels so unwell that they cannot eat, sleep, or go to school. These visits to emergency departments have increased in recent years.

Experts believe several things may be causing this. Mental illness in children has become more common. At the same time, community health services are struggling to cope, and there are not enough specialist beds in hospitals.