Suicide attempts and eating disorders in adolescents, the mental health wave of the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic: A paediatric emergency department perspective

AIM: We compared adolescents’ visits to a tertiary-level paediatric emergency department (PED) in Italy during the pre-pandemic year and the first and second years of the COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on mental health presentations. METHODS: This was a retrospective study. We collected the number of visits, the demographical features, triage codes, discharge diagnoses, and outcomes of adolescents 13–17 years old who accessed the PED from 1 March 2019 to 28 February 2022. RESULTS: During the study period, 13,410 adolescents accessed the PED. The number of visits related to mental health problems was 304 (6.4%) in the second year of the pandemic and 306 (5.6%) in the pre-pandemic year, p = 0.07. In the same periods, females’ prevalence was higher, 220 (72.4%) vs. 197 (64.4%), p = 0.03. The absolute number of subjects needing admission increased, 44 vs. 34, p = 0.21, and more urgent psychiatric consultations were needed, 161 vs. 114, p < 0.0001. The number of suicide attempts was 23 vs. 8, +188%, p = 0.01. The number of adolescents with eating disorders was 21 vs. 5, +320%, p = 0.001. CONCLUSION: PED visits for suicide attempts and eating disorders in adolescents sharply increased in the second year of the pandemic.