AUTHOR=Barbalat Guillaume , Franck Nicolas 

TITLE=Evolving sex-specific trends in mental health-related emergency department visits (2010–2023): insights from 643 French general hospitals

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health

VOLUME=Volume 13 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2025.1607649

DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2025.1607649

ISSN=2296-2565

ABSTRACT=BackgroundPsychiatric disorders account for a significant proportion of emergency department (ED) visits, with notable sex-specific differences. However, how these disparities have evolved over time, particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic, remains poorly understood.MethodsWe analyzed yearly ED visit data from 2010 to 2023 for individuals aged 18–65 with diagnoses of substance use, affective, and non-affective psychotic disorders from 643 French general hospitals. Fixed-effects models were used to examine sex-specific trends, with 2010 as the reference year for baseline analyses and 2019 for pandemic-era comparisons.ResultsThe mean rate of mental health-related ED visits was 6.8% during the study period. Compared to females, males exhibited a significant increase in ED visits related to affective and non-affective psychotic disorders since 2010. Compared to females, males showed significant reductions in substance use disorder visits post-pandemic (2021–2023 vs. 2019). Affective disorder visits among males transiently decreased in 2022.ConclusionOur findings highlight evolving sex-specific trends in mental health-related ED visits, with males experiencing increases since 2010, and females facing disproportionate post-COVID-19 burdens. These findings can guide sex-specific healthcare resource allocation and enhance the delivery of mental health services.