(7/19/2010)

UPI.com Health News

WASHINGTON -- One in eight of the 95 million adults visits to U.S. hospital emergency rooms involved a mental issue, a substance abuse problem, or both, health officials say.

A report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, part of the Department of Health and Human Services, says of these 12 million ER visits, about two-thirds involved patients with a mental disorder, one-quarter were patients with a substance abuse problem, and the rest involved patients with both a mental disorder and substance abuse.

The federal agency's reports also says:

-- 43 percent of the visits involved depression and other mood disorders, while 26 percent were for anxiety disorders and 23 percent involved alcohol-related problems.

-- Nearly 41 percent of mental disorder and/or substance abuse-related visits resulted in hospitalization.

-- Medicare was billed for 30 percent of these type of visits; private insured was billed for 26 percent; 21 percent were uninsured; and 20 percent were Medicaid patients.

Keywords: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Department of Health and Human Services, ER visits, mental disorder, substance abuse