(PS2-B26) A Descriptive Analysis of Child & Adolescent Hospitalizations Following Suicide Attempts over the Course of the Pandemic at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia

The rates of self-harm, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempts seen in the pediatric emergency department have increased during the pandemic (Hill et al., 2021; Ougrin, 2021). This increase in suicidality is likely related to the fact that many psychosocial stressors associated with the pandemic are also risk factors for suicide (Crisan et al., 2021; Banerjee et al., 2021). Additionally, scientists have posited that inflammation caused by COVID-19 infection could be related to an increased risk of suicide (Choi et al., 2021). In October of 2021, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Children’s Hospital Association, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry issued a joint letter declaring the mental health crisis among children a national emergency (AAP, 2021). That crisis is acutely seen in Georgia, the worst state for youth with at least one Major Depressive Episode to access mental health care (Mental Health America, 2021). This study examines trends of children and adolescents hospitalized after a suicide attempt at the Children’s Hospital of Georgia (CHOG) throughout the pandemic. CHOG is a Level II Pediatric Trauma Center and provides pediatric care to 13 counties surrounding the Central Savannah River Area, a medically underserved area. Current estimates suggest that 23.5% of this population lives in poverty (Data USA, 2022). Electronic medical records will be used from all psychiatry consultation liaison visits for child and adolescent suicide attempts resulting in hospitalization from 2019 through 2021. Descriptive analyses are ongoing and will highlight trends in patient demographics (e.g., age, race/ethnicity), means of suicide attempt, and whether patients tested positive for COVID-19 during hospitalization. This study will add to emerging literature about the trends of suicidality among children and adolescents throughout the pandemic and inform intervention efforts moving forward.