Black Americans most likely to go to ER for mental health care – CDC

Washington, Mar 1 (Prensa Latina) A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday found that Black adults are more likely to go to emergency room (ER) for mental health reasons than white or Hispanic adults.

The report looked at nearly 6,000 mental health-related emergency room visits between 2018 and 2020 and found that Black Americans had the highest rate with 96.8 visits per 1,000 people.

White Americans visited emergency rooms at a rate of 53.4 per 1,000 people while Hispanics visited ERs at an even lower rate — 36.0 per 1,000 people.

Most common mental health reasons to visit ERs are anxiety, depression, mood swings, and chemical use.

Black and Hispanic adults between the ages of 18-44 were the most likely to go to an emergency room for a mental health issue.

The CDC estimates that 1 in every 5 adults lived with a mental health disorder in 2020 but less than half of those with a mental health issue received treatment that year.