--- title: "Psych News Alert: Pandemic Prompts Increase in Emergency Department Visits for Mental Illness, Suicide, Overdose" description: Emergency department (ED) visits for mental health conditions, suicide attempts, and drug overdoses were higher in mid-March through Octobe... image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/COVID-iStock-1218950726-Jun-24-2025-03-46-43-1852-PM.jpg --- 2/5/21 12:00 AM # Pandemic Prompts Increase in Emergency Department Visits for Mental Illness, Suicide, Overdose ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) Share: [facebook-f icon ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https://alert.psychnews.org/2021/02/pandemic-prompts-increase-in-emergency.html) [linkedin-in icon ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2021/02/pandemic-prompts-increase-in-emergency.html) [Twitter icon ](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2021/02/pandemic-prompts-increase-in-emergency.html) [pinterest-p icon ](http://pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=https://alert.psychnews.org/2021/02/pandemic-prompts-increase-in-emergency.html) [envelope icon ](mailto:?body=https://alert.psychnews.org/2021/02/pandemic-prompts-increase-in-emergency.html) ![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/COVID-iStock-1218950726-Jun-24-2025-03-46-44-1254-PM.jpg?width=200&height=141&name=COVID-iStock-1218950726-Jun-24-2025-03-46-44-1254-PM.jpg) Emergency department (ED) visits for mental health conditions, suicide attempts, and drug overdoses were higher in mid-March through October 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, compared with the same period in 2019, a [study](https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/fullarticle/2775991) in *JAMA Psychiatry* has found. These increases ran counter to an overall decline in ED visits for all causes that began soon after the nation implemented COVID-19 mitigation measures in mid-March 2020. Kristin M. Holland, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control and colleagues analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Syndromic Surveillance Program to examine national changes in ED visits for mental health conditions, suicide attempts, drug overdose, opioid overdose, intimate partner violence, and suspected child abuse and neglect from December 30, 2018, to October 10, 2020. The program captures roughly 70% of ED visits from more than 3,500 EDs in 48 states and the District of Columbia. When the researchers compared median weekly ED visit counts between March 15 and October 2020 with the same period in 2019, they found the following increases per 100,000 visits: - Visits for mental health conditions rose from 40,257 to 42,610. - Visits for suicide attempts rose from 4,656 to 4,940. - Visits for all drug overdoses rose from 13,371 to 15,604. - Visits for opioid overdoses rose from 4,168 to 5,502. “[T]he findings suggest that visits for these outcomes were likely of sufficient severity that treatment at an ED was a necessary risk during the pandemic, despite stay-at-home orders advising people to avoid public spaces,” Holland and colleagues wrote. They added that the visits for all drug and opioid overdoses were especially compelling. “This finding might reflect changes in the illicit drug supply during the pandemic and that persons using opioids used them alone or in higher-risk ways, increasing the likelihood of [overdose], or that they lacked access to naloxone or other risk-reduction services—all potential effects of COVID-19 mitigation measures,” they continued. The researchers noted that their results likely underestimate the number of visits associated with these measures because many patients who experience mental health conditions, suicide attempts, and overdoses do not visit an ED. “These findings suggest that ED use and priorities for care seeking shifted during the COVID-19 pandemic, underscoring mental health, substance use, and violence risk screening and prevention needs during public health crises,” they wrote. For related information, see the *Psychiatric News *article “[Expect a ‘Long Trail’ of Mental Health Effects From COVID-19](https://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2020.6b26).” (Image: iStock/Jobalou) --- ### APA’s Town Hall on How Racism Impacts Workforce Diversity Is Next Monday Register now for the town hall “Structural Racism & Psychiatric Residency Training: Recruitment, Retention, and Development,” to be held **Monday, February 8, at 8 p.m. ET**. Panelists will address the disproportionate number of minority psychiatrists, their experiences in different practice settings, and why having diversity in the psychiatric workforce psychiatry is important for everyone. [**LEARN MORE AND REGISTER**](https://www.psychiatry.org/psychiatrists/meetings/addressing-structural-racism-town-hall?utm_source=Internal-Link&utm_medium=FOS-Hero) --- **Don't miss out!** To learn about newly posted articles in *Psychiatric News,* please sign up [here](https://appi.org/pnpubalert). [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Twitter_Bird-Jun-24-2025-03-49-20-7771-PM.png)](https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Twitter_Bird-Jun-24-2025-03-49-20-7771-PM.png) **[Follow *Psychiatric News* on Twitter!](https://twitter.com/PsychiatricNews)** **** [overdose](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/overdose), [pandemic](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/pandemic), [suicide attempts](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/suicide-attempts), [COVID-19](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/covid-19), [mental illness](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/mental-illness), [emergency department](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/emergency-department), [JAMA Psychiatry](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/jama-psychiatry), [ED](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/ed) ## Related posts [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/woman_alone_iStock-1129696669-Jun-24-2025-10-26-23-0785-PM.jpg?height=200&name=woman_alone_iStock-1129696669-Jun-24-2025-10-26-23-0785-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2021/07/study-reveals-extent-of-unmet-need-for.html) [pandemic](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/pandemic), [mental health counseling](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/mental-health-counseling), [unmet need](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/unmet-need), [Psychiatric Services in Advance](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychiatric-services-in-advance), [COVID-19](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/covid-19) ## [Study Reveals Extent of Unmet Need for Mental Health Counseling During Pandemic](https://alert.psychnews.org/2021/07/study-reveals-extent-of-unmet-need-for.html) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 7/2/21 12:00 AM [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2021/07/study-reveals-extent-of-unmet-need-for.html) [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/geller_daou-4.jpg?height=200&name=geller_daou-4.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2020/04/psychiatrists-offer-insights-guidance.html) [Psychiatric News](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychiatric-news), [anxiety](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/anxiety), [serious mental illness](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/serious-mental-illness), [physical health](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/physical-health), [Jeffrey Geller](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/jeffrey-geller), [SMI](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/smi), [hallucinations](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/hallucinations), [COVID-19](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/covid-19), [social distancing](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/social-distancing), [cognitive deficits](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/cognitive-deficits) ## [Psychiatrists Offer Insights, Guidance Regarding SMI Patients During COVID-19 Pandemic](https://alert.psychnews.org/2020/04/psychiatrists-offer-insights-guidance.html) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 4/7/20 12:00 AM The information regarding the impacts of COVID-19 has come fast and furious—but most guidelines,... [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2020/04/psychiatrists-offer-insights-guidance.html) [![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/AVvXsEgLiJ1OmjwPL7UhtH4Fck6J24h1S2GiCcdxHqWgVJkM_dtALIU-KWzQW3vJcm7ySIzzrg9XMMa4GEY0sgAk9NPid1PBmIgw4AoAR2jn4O8kGxhD8MTW5PM1qjYBNSLaHoL19QdZa-lEwAp5B-4.jpg?height=200&name=AVvXsEgLiJ1OmjwPL7UhtH4Fck6J24h1S2GiCcdxHqWgVJkM_dtALIU-KWzQW3vJcm7ySIzzrg9XMMa4GEY0sgAk9NPid1PBmIgw4AoAR2jn4O8kGxhD8MTW5PM1qjYBNSLaHoL19QdZa-lEwAp5B-4.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2022/01/pandemic-sparks-increase-in-mental.html) [substance use](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/substance-use), [psychiatrists](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychiatrists), [JAMA Network Open](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/jama-network-open), [pandemic](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/pandemic), [mental health](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/mental-health), [COVID-19](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/covid-19), [physicians](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/physicians), [in-person visits](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/in-person-visits) ## [Pandemic Sparks Increase in Mental Health, Substance Use Outpatient Visits Among Physicians](https://alert.psychnews.org/2022/01/pandemic-sparks-increase-in-mental.html) ![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 1/21/22 12:00 AM [ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2022/01/pandemic-sparks-increase-in-mental.html) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Psychiatric News Alert", "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert" }, "dateModified" : "2025-06-24T15:49:38.620Z", "datePublished" : "2021-02-05T05:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Psych News Alert: Pandemic Prompts Increase in Emergency Department Visits for Mental Illness, Suicide, Overdose", "image" : [ "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/COVID-iStock-1218950726-Jun-24-2025-03-46-43-1852-PM.jpg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/2021/02/pandemic-prompts-increase-in-emergency.html", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/PN-Blue-Box.jpg" } } } ```