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A single emergency department (ED) visit for deliberately self-injurious behavior is associated with a sixfold increased lifetime risk for suicide. To examine how patients with self-injury are treated, researchers reviewed Medicaid records for adults treated in EDs for self-harm in 2006. Of 7355 visits, 4595 visits (62%; 4440 patients) involved discharge to the community, and 2760 visits (38%) involved admission to the hospital.
Of the patients who were sent home, only 48% had a mental health evaluation in the ED, and 52% received outpatient follow-up in the next 30 days. Compared with patients sent home, admitted patients were more likely to be older and to have had a more lethal form of self-harm (e.g., gunshot) and previous mental health …