Kids are flooding into Kansas City ERs for mental health issues, and hospitals need help to keep...

The number of pediatric ER visits for mental health reasons has increased by an average of 8% each year. But Kansas City hospitals warn they aren't able to keep pace — and already, about half of kids are going untreated.
On any given day, Children’s Mercy Kansas City will see about 24 children in the emergency room with behavioral or mental health issues.

The most common mental health disorders that children are diagnosed within the ER are mood disorders, anxiety disorders and behavioral and emotional disorders.

Emily Snow, senior Administrative Director for behavioral health at Children's Mercy Hospital, said they’ve seen these types of visits increase as much as 20% annually in recent years.

“We have kids as young as 3 who are coming through the emergency room,” Snow said. “We also have a lot of kiddos who come through who have neurodevelopmental disorders or autism spectrum disorders who are struggling either with behavioral dysregulation or medication adjustment needs. It's very hard to get care right now.”

In ERs across the city, the same situation is playing out — but with hospitals even less equipped to handle the load.