# Brief Diagnostic Tool (Youth-CAT (Y-CAT)) for Use in Emergency Departments (EDs)

> **NIH NIH P50** · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · 2020 · $281,080

## Abstract

RESEARCH PROJECT 2: Project Summary/Abstract
Although 20% of US children have a diagnosable mental health (MH) disorder, and 3-18% of them have a MH
disorder serious enough to result in significant functional impairment, fewer than 50% receive treatment. There
are many reasons for the lack of treatment, not the least of which is the failure of the systems that most often
interact with them (educational and medical care) to identify MH disorders; this is of concern, given the
increase in youth presenting to Emergency Departments (EDs) with MH disorders. The availability of a new
screening instrument, the Y-CAT (screens for six MH disorders, has a suicide scale providing both dimensional
severity measures and diagnoses, and disposition protocol), provides a quick, simple way to greatly improve
the diagnosis and management of youth MH disorders in EDs. Specific aims of the proposed study are to: Aim
1: Screen, using the Y-CAT dimensional severity measure and the associated diagnostic screener (both now
called Y-CAT), all consenting youth 7-18 with non-life threatening problems and their legal guardians visiting
two New York University (NYU) Pediatric EDs (Tisch and Bellevue) and the NYU-Bellevue Children's
Comprehensive Psychiatric Emergency Program (CCPEP) during three randomly assigned three-month
periods and compare results from the Y-CAT to the diagnoses and treatment recommendations of ED
physicians. For families who do not agree to complete the screening instrument, ask reasons for refusal to
participate. Identify, using CCPEP data, reasons for Y-CAT-child psychiatrist discrepancies; Aim 2: Educate,
using the data from Aim 1, the Tisch, Bellevue, and CCPEP staffs after their assigned screening period on the
amount of under diagnosis and treatment of youth MH disorders, the conceptualization, structure, and
psychometric properties of the Y-CAT. For one randomly assigned pediatric ED we will also provide a
disposition protocol based on the severity of diagnosis generated by the Y-CAT. Assess, prior to each
educational session, the level of confidence of the ED physicians in their ability to diagnose and manage youth
SMHD; Aim 3: Assess the impact of Y-CAT Feedback only vs. Y-CAT Feedback plus Disposition Protocol on
physicians' behavior. Compare a second set of screens using the Y-CAT for youth 7-18 visiting the three EDs
in the three months immediately post that ED's education session and feedback the results from the Y-CAT
(and disposition in one ED) to the treating physician. Compare results from the Y-CAT to the diagnosis and
treatment of ED physicians with and without the disposition intervention. We will also examine if ED physicians'
confidence mediates physicians' behavior. Assess at the end of the three-month feedback, ED physicians'
confidence. Examine whether changes in confidence (pre- and post-intervention) vary with and without the
disposition intervention and evaluate the impact of change in confidence on diagnostic agreement; and...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9933115
- **Project number:** 5P50MH113662-02
- **Recipient organization:** NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
- **Principal Investigator:** Sarah McCue Horwitz
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $281,080
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** — → —

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9933115

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9933115, Brief Diagnostic Tool (Youth-CAT (Y-CAT)) for Use in Emergency Departments (EDs) (5P50MH113662-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9933115. Licensed CC0.

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