Emergency Mental Health Care Utilization and the COVID-19 Pandemic Among U.S. Armed Forces and Dependents, 1 January 2017 to 31 March 2021.

The COVID-19 pandemic brought with it concerns for the effects on mental health, from both the disease itself and the steps taken to combat it. Given the readiness ramifications of those effects, it is necessary to understand them as they apply to members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. This study aimed to analyze temporal trends in mental health-related emergency room (ER) visits before and during the COVID-19 pandemic among active duty service members (ADSMs) and dependents. A total of 5,205,259 health care visits in an ER setting between 1 January 2017 to 31 March 2021 were included. Multivariate logistic regressions showed significantly increased odds of ER visits related to mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic when compared to a 3 year period before, both among active duty service members and adult dependents (adjusted odds ratio, AOR: 1.13, 95%CI: 1.12, 1.14), and dependents under 18 years of age (AOR: 1.44, 95%CI: 1.42,1.48). These findings document significant increases in demand for emergency mental health services during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially within younger cohorts.