Analysis of mental health substance abuse-related emergency department visits from 2002 to 2008.

Background: Mental health substance abuse (MHSA)-related visits in the emergency department (ED) are a growing concern.

Methods: This study analyzed MHSA ED visits by age, gender, ethnicity, region, season, and duration of stay between 2002 and 2008 using the National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey (NHAMCS). The authors used descriptive statistics and examined ED length of stay using a generalized linear model with a log link, and compared length of stay for these visits.