Patterns of Injury and Childhood Psychiatric Disorder in a Low-Income Population

This study examined cross-sectional patterns of association between childhood psychiatric disorders and non-fatal injuries. The study population consisted of 763,251 youth between the ages of five and 18 years. Having any psychiatric diagnosis increased the odds of injury by a factor of two (OR = 2.12, CI 2.08–2.16). Strong associations were found between poisoning and unipolar depression (OR = 5.45, 95% CI 5.02–5.93), bipolar mood disorders (OR = 7.00, 95% CI 6.15–7.95) and major depression (OR = 9.63; 95% CI 8.51–10.89). Medicaid data provide an important resource to examine the intersection of psychiatric diagnosis and injury on a population basis.