(6/8/2011)By Katherine Hobson
The Wall Street Journal
June 1, 2011

Regular outpatient care has not kept children and teenagers with mental health issues and behavioral problems from making repeat visits to the emergency room (ER), according to a new study. Researchers from Johns Hopkins Children's Center found that more often than not, children who repeatedly end up in the ER do not actually have life-threatening emergencies. The study, published in the June 1 issue of Psychiatric Services, examined the medical records of more than 2,900 children, ranging in age from 3 to 17 years, who were treated at the center's ER for mental health crises over the course of eight years.

Read the full Wall Street Journal Article: http://blogs.wsj.com/health/2011/06/01/access-to-mental-health-care-no-guarantee-kids-wont-visit-the-e-r/

Keywords: mental health care, no guarantee, kids, E.R.