Emergency medicine practice
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There are approximately 12 million emergency department (ED) visits related to mental health/substance abuse annually. Approximately 650,000 patients are evaluated annually for suicide attempts. Evidence to guide the management and treatment of depression and suicidal ideation in the ED is limited. ⋯ Recognition of depression by emergency clinicians has proved poor. Suicide is associated with multiple risk factors, of which a prior history of suicide attempts is the single strongest predictor. A systematic approach is required in the ED to identify patients with or at risk of having depression, and screening tools may offer utility to identify high-risk patients.