More U.S. kids in hospital for mental illness - Mental health

[Guest guest]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44010025/ns/health-mental_health/

Mental health

More U.S. kids in hospital for mental illness

From 1996 to 2007, rate of psychiatric hospital discharges rose by 80 percent

for 5- to 13-year-olds

Reuters

NEW YORK — American kids are increasingly likely to be admitted to the hospital

for mental problems, although rates of non-psychiatric hospitalizations have

remained flat, a new study shows.

From 1996 to 2007, the rate of psychiatric hospital discharges rose by more than

80 percent for 5-13-year-olds and by 42 percent for older teens.

" This occurs despite numerous efforts to make outpatient services for the more

vulnerable kids more widely available, " said ph C. Blader of Stony Brook

State University of New York, whose findings appear in the Archives of General

Psychiatry.

He said hospitalization is the last resort, because it's so disruptive for

normal life.

" It's a pretty traumatic thing for a family when your child is admitted to a

psych unit, " he told Reuters Health.

Overall, short-term hospital admissions for mental illness rose from 156 to 283

per 100,000 children per year over the ten-year study period, based on data from

the National Hospital Discharge Survey.

For adolescents, the rate increased from 683 to 969 per 100,000, while it went

up from 921 to 996 for adults and dropped from 978 to 808 for people 65 and

older.

The change for the elderly was expected, Blader said, because of cuts in

Medicare reimbursement for inpatient hospitalizations.

For youngsters, bipolar disorder showed the steepest increase, while anxiety

diagnoses dropped.

Although there have been concerns about overdiagnosis of bipolar disorder and

other mental problems among children, Blader said that was unlikely to be hiking

the rates.

That's because hospitalizations are based on whether or not people are

considered a danger to themselves or others, not on psychiatric labels.

" Most typically it's volatile and aggressive behavior, or overreaction to minor

provocations that lead to assaults on family members or peers, " Blader told

Reuters Health.

There was also a decline in the proportion of hospital stays paid for by private

insurers. But whether that reflects a growing quality gap in mental health care

or is a consequence of increased government coverage is unclear.

" There is no way these kinds of data are going give you the answers on a silver

platter, " Blader said.

He believes the rate hikes are real and alarming and says now is the time to

study the underlying reasons.

" Whereas before we had hoped that more outpatient services would lead to a

decrease in hospitalizations, the findings suggest a pressing need to learn what

might have reversed that trend, " Blader said.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/nMGkLp Archives of General Psychiatry, online August 1,

2011.

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters.

Sent via BlackBerry by AT & T

[Guest guest]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44010025/ns/health-mental_health/

Mental health

More U.S. kids in hospital for mental illness

From 1996 to 2007, rate of psychiatric hospital discharges rose by 80 percent

for 5- to 13-year-olds

Reuters

NEW YORK — American kids are increasingly likely to be admitted to the hospital

for mental problems, although rates of non-psychiatric hospitalizations have

remained flat, a new study shows.

From 1996 to 2007, the rate of psychiatric hospital discharges rose by more than

80 percent for 5-13-year-olds and by 42 percent for older teens.

" This occurs despite numerous efforts to make outpatient services for the more

vulnerable kids more widely available, " said ph C. Blader of Stony Brook

State University of New York, whose findings appear in the Archives of General

Psychiatry.

He said hospitalization is the last resort, because it's so disruptive for

normal life.

" It's a pretty traumatic thing for a family when your child is admitted to a

psych unit, " he told Reuters Health.

Overall, short-term hospital admissions for mental illness rose from 156 to 283

per 100,000 children per year over the ten-year study period, based on data from

the National Hospital Discharge Survey.

For adolescents, the rate increased from 683 to 969 per 100,000, while it went

up from 921 to 996 for adults and dropped from 978 to 808 for people 65 and

older.

The change for the elderly was expected, Blader said, because of cuts in

Medicare reimbursement for inpatient hospitalizations.

For youngsters, bipolar disorder showed the steepest increase, while anxiety

diagnoses dropped.

Although there have been concerns about overdiagnosis of bipolar disorder and

other mental problems among children, Blader said that was unlikely to be hiking

the rates.

That's because hospitalizations are based on whether or not people are

considered a danger to themselves or others, not on psychiatric labels.

" Most typically it's volatile and aggressive behavior, or overreaction to minor

provocations that lead to assaults on family members or peers, " Blader told

Reuters Health.

There was also a decline in the proportion of hospital stays paid for by private

insurers. But whether that reflects a growing quality gap in mental health care

or is a consequence of increased government coverage is unclear.

" There is no way these kinds of data are going give you the answers on a silver

platter, " Blader said.

He believes the rate hikes are real and alarming and says now is the time to

study the underlying reasons.

" Whereas before we had hoped that more outpatient services would lead to a

decrease in hospitalizations, the findings suggest a pressing need to learn what

might have reversed that trend, " Blader said.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/nMGkLp Archives of General Psychiatry, online August 1,

2011.

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters.

Sent via BlackBerry by AT & T

[Guest guest]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44010025/ns/health-mental_health/

Mental health

More U.S. kids in hospital for mental illness

From 1996 to 2007, rate of psychiatric hospital discharges rose by 80 percent

for 5- to 13-year-olds

Reuters

NEW YORK — American kids are increasingly likely to be admitted to the hospital

for mental problems, although rates of non-psychiatric hospitalizations have

remained flat, a new study shows.

From 1996 to 2007, the rate of psychiatric hospital discharges rose by more than

80 percent for 5-13-year-olds and by 42 percent for older teens.

" This occurs despite numerous efforts to make outpatient services for the more

vulnerable kids more widely available, " said ph C. Blader of Stony Brook

State University of New York, whose findings appear in the Archives of General

Psychiatry.

He said hospitalization is the last resort, because it's so disruptive for

normal life.

" It's a pretty traumatic thing for a family when your child is admitted to a

psych unit, " he told Reuters Health.

Overall, short-term hospital admissions for mental illness rose from 156 to 283

per 100,000 children per year over the ten-year study period, based on data from

the National Hospital Discharge Survey.

For adolescents, the rate increased from 683 to 969 per 100,000, while it went

up from 921 to 996 for adults and dropped from 978 to 808 for people 65 and

older.

The change for the elderly was expected, Blader said, because of cuts in

Medicare reimbursement for inpatient hospitalizations.

For youngsters, bipolar disorder showed the steepest increase, while anxiety

diagnoses dropped.

Although there have been concerns about overdiagnosis of bipolar disorder and

other mental problems among children, Blader said that was unlikely to be hiking

the rates.

That's because hospitalizations are based on whether or not people are

considered a danger to themselves or others, not on psychiatric labels.

" Most typically it's volatile and aggressive behavior, or overreaction to minor

provocations that lead to assaults on family members or peers, " Blader told

Reuters Health.

There was also a decline in the proportion of hospital stays paid for by private

insurers. But whether that reflects a growing quality gap in mental health care

or is a consequence of increased government coverage is unclear.

" There is no way these kinds of data are going give you the answers on a silver

platter, " Blader said.

He believes the rate hikes are real and alarming and says now is the time to

study the underlying reasons.

" Whereas before we had hoped that more outpatient services would lead to a

decrease in hospitalizations, the findings suggest a pressing need to learn what

might have reversed that trend, " Blader said.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/nMGkLp Archives of General Psychiatry, online August 1,

2011.

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters.

Sent via BlackBerry by AT & T

[Guest guest]

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44010025/ns/health-mental_health/

Mental health

More U.S. kids in hospital for mental illness

From 1996 to 2007, rate of psychiatric hospital discharges rose by 80 percent

for 5- to 13-year-olds

Reuters

NEW YORK — American kids are increasingly likely to be admitted to the hospital

for mental problems, although rates of non-psychiatric hospitalizations have

remained flat, a new study shows.

From 1996 to 2007, the rate of psychiatric hospital discharges rose by more than

80 percent for 5-13-year-olds and by 42 percent for older teens.

" This occurs despite numerous efforts to make outpatient services for the more

vulnerable kids more widely available, " said ph C. Blader of Stony Brook

State University of New York, whose findings appear in the Archives of General

Psychiatry.

He said hospitalization is the last resort, because it's so disruptive for

normal life.

" It's a pretty traumatic thing for a family when your child is admitted to a

psych unit, " he told Reuters Health.

Overall, short-term hospital admissions for mental illness rose from 156 to 283

per 100,000 children per year over the ten-year study period, based on data from

the National Hospital Discharge Survey.

For adolescents, the rate increased from 683 to 969 per 100,000, while it went

up from 921 to 996 for adults and dropped from 978 to 808 for people 65 and

older.

The change for the elderly was expected, Blader said, because of cuts in

Medicare reimbursement for inpatient hospitalizations.

For youngsters, bipolar disorder showed the steepest increase, while anxiety

diagnoses dropped.

Although there have been concerns about overdiagnosis of bipolar disorder and

other mental problems among children, Blader said that was unlikely to be hiking

the rates.

That's because hospitalizations are based on whether or not people are

considered a danger to themselves or others, not on psychiatric labels.

" Most typically it's volatile and aggressive behavior, or overreaction to minor

provocations that lead to assaults on family members or peers, " Blader told

Reuters Health.

There was also a decline in the proportion of hospital stays paid for by private

insurers. But whether that reflects a growing quality gap in mental health care

or is a consequence of increased government coverage is unclear.

" There is no way these kinds of data are going give you the answers on a silver

platter, " Blader said.

He believes the rate hikes are real and alarming and says now is the time to

study the underlying reasons.

" Whereas before we had hoped that more outpatient services would lead to a

decrease in hospitalizations, the findings suggest a pressing need to learn what

might have reversed that trend, " Blader said.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/nMGkLp Archives of General Psychiatry, online August 1,

2011.

Copyright 2011 Thomson Reuters.

Sent via BlackBerry by AT & T