SLMHC research shows increased mental health and addictions presentations to ER

Recent Sioux Lookout Meno Ya Win Health Center (SLMHC) research, published in the Canadian Journal of Emergency Medicine, reveals increased visit volume in the emergency department (ED) with mental health and addictions becoming the most common reason for a visit to the ED.

The study, a retrospective look at 2010-2014, showed ED visit volume increased 29 per cent over the five-year period, and mental health and addictions presentations accounted for 10.3 per cent of ED visits, 8.7 per cent of admissions, and 20 per cent of inter-hospital transfers to tertiary care centres or psychiatric facilities. SLMHC encountered a twelve-fold higher rate of mental health and addictions related ED visits in 2012 as compared to Ontario-wide numbers and the gap is widening.

The research concludes the increase in mental health and addictions related visits mirrors the opioid epidemic this region is experiencing. Mental health and addictions may soon become the most common ED presentation.

Click here to read the full report.