Hawaii Study Shows Increasing Psychiatric Emergency Room Visits Among Elderly

A study of emergency room visits by elderly patients in Hawaii shows an increase in geriatric psychiatric visits with longer stays, a trend that suggests a coming mental health crisis for an aging population and a need for services for this population.

The research was scheduled for presentation Monday, May 16, at the 164th American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting, which is in Honolulu May 14-18.  Researchers from The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu showed psychiatric emergency room visits by elderly patients increasing by 30 percent from 2008 to 2009.

Details of this study, along with five other new research studies, will be presented at a media briefing from the APA Annual Meeting. Members of the media can attend in Room 307 of the Hawaii Convention Center at 8 am Hawaii time, Monday, May 16, or participate online at 11 AM PDT/2 pm EDT by registering at https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/341505819.

The American Psychiatric Association is a national medical specialty society whose physician members specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, prevention and research of mental illnesses, including substance use disorders. Visit the APA at www.psych.org and www.HealthyMinds.org.