Urban-Rural Differences In Youth Emergency Department Visits For Suicidal Ideation And Self-Harm

Abstract

Purpose: Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youth age 10-to-19 years in the U.S., with youth living in rural areas nearly twice as likely to die by suicide. Although emergency department (ED) visits for suicidal ideation and self-harm represent a critical opportunity for initiation of preventive interventions, urban-rural differences in these visits have not been well characterized. Our objective was to study urban-rural differences in ED visit rates for youth suicidal ideation and self-harm. Methods: We conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of ED visits for suicidal ideation and self-harm by youth age 5-to-19 years in …