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to five times as likely to have a mental hea lth diagnosis one yea r af ter their injury, according to the study. Children age 4 or younger who suffered burns were eight times as likely to be diagnosed with a mental health condition post-injury. Increases in diagnoses were especially noteworthy for stress-related conditions, such as learning, eating, sleep and adjust- ment disorders. MOUNTING EVIDENCE The findings reinforce earlier research that suggests pediatric injuries have a connection to mental health conditions. A similar study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found that major physica l trauma was associated with a 40 percent higher rate of hospitalization for mental health diagnoses. The study also found that children under age 18 who suffered a major injury had the largest increa sed risk of hospita lization for mental health diagnoses. The researchers concluded that mental health services should be part of the traumatic-injury recovery process for injured children. Another study, published in PM&R , the journal of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, found adolescents who suffered a trau- matic brain injury were three times as likely to receive mental health services as their uninjured peers. "We expect children to show a certain amount of stress and discomfort as a result of spending time in the hospital for a n injur y ...," Julie Leona rd, MD, MPH, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at Nationwide Children's and Ohio State CHILDREN WHO ARE HOSPITALIZED FOR INJURIES MAY SUBSEQUENTLY BE MORE LIKELY TO BE DIAGNOSED WITH MENTAL HE ALTH ISSUES, RECENT RESE ARCH SUGGESTS. Show Marked Increase in Mental Health Diagnoses BY HILLARY EAMES AU THOR S OF A study in The Journal of Pediatrics found that children treated for serious injuries were 63 percent more likely to be diagnosed with a mental health condition after their injury. They were also 155 percent more likely to be pre- scribed medication to treat mental illness. R e s e a r c h e r s o b s e r v e d m o r e t ha n 2 , 20 0 ch i ld ren who ha d been hospitalized for unintentional injuries at Nationwide Children's Hospita l in Columbus, Ohio, from June 2005 to May 2015. The children, who were 18 years of age or younger, were enrolled in the facility's managed-Medicaid program, allowing them to receive a baseline mental health evaluation. Mental health diagnosis rates varied considerably by injury type. Children who experienced head injuries were up INJURED 2 0 2 0❱❱❱❱❱ M E N TA L H E A LT H

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