The percentage of patients seen at U.S. children’s hospitals each year for suicidal thoughts or attempts has increased steadily, according to a recent study published in Pediatrics, the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death in children and young adults ages 10-24.
Mental Health Inpatient Center
Our Mental Health Inpatient Center, which opened in April 2018, is the only center in Orange County that can accommodate children younger than 12. The 18-bed Center is designed for patients ages 3 to 17.
ASPIRE® Intensive Outpatient Program at CHOC
This intervention (four afternoons/evenings per week for eight weeks) is intended to prevent psychiatric hospitalization and re-admission in high school teens ages 13-18. CHOC opened the IOP in early 2018.
Mental health screenings in primary care settings and the Julia and George Argyros Emergency Department at CHOC Hospital
One-third of all visits to pediatricians are solely for psychological reasons. To support immediate assessment and intervention in primary care, CHOC is providing depression screenings in its own clinics and promoting embedded mental health care in pediatric practices. We also provide depression screenings in the CHOC emergency department.
Mental health triage at the Julia and George Argyros Emergency Department at CHOC Hospital
Implemented in fall 2016 with public and private funds, the innovative family-based crisis intervention model helps families address mental health crises and is already reducing psychiatric hospitalizations (25 percent reduction) and time spent in the emergency department (17 percent reduction).
CHOC is taking a leadership role in tackling the pediatric mental health crisis in Orange County. Half of children with symptoms of mental health disorders have conditions that cause significant impairment in daily life. In Orange County, 20 percent of youth reported needing help for mental health problems, while less than a third actually received that help.
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Get mental health resources from CHOC pediatric experts
The mental health team at CHOC curated the following resources on mental health topics common to kids and teens, such as depression, anxiety, suicide prevention and more.
