That happens in roughly one in ten of all mental health emergency visits for children enrolled in Medicaid across the country. The most common mental health crises that led to such extended stays, or boarding, were depressive disorders and suicidal thoughts and attempts, according to the study published in JAMA Health Forum . Adequate outpatient services can prevent kids with mental health conditions from reaching a crisis point. Without adequate outpatient and inpatient mental health care options, families are more likely to take their child to an ER if the child is in a mental health crisis. But “what they find when they go to the emergency department is that there often isn’t any available care,” says Marshall.