Emergency mental health presentations in children with autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

Aim: To characterise the key features and management of young people presenting to the emergency department (ED) with a mental health (MH) complaint and a known diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Methods: Retrospective review of all ED MH presentations in children aged 7–17 years, presenting over a 12-month period from the 1st of January 2018 to the 31st of December 2018, to the Royal Children's Hospital in Melbourne, Australia. Univariate analyses were carried out to examine the relationship between an underlying diagnosis of ASD and/or ADHD and a number of key presentation variables. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence interv..