A public health task force is calling for anxiety screening in youth. Mental health has always been a very real problem, but it is only more recently getting more attention. The pandemic has highlighted the need for more support and services for youth who are living with anxiety and depression. Mental health struggles, if they are detected earlier, respond better to interventions and treatment, and it has become a priority to figure out who needs help and make sure they can access it. Experts are always working on ways to make sure this happens quickly.

According to Today, anxiety screening for youth may be coming, or it is at least a very real possibility. The U.S. Preventative Services Task Force has come out and said that routine screening for anxiety and depression may be useful in older children and teenagers. Their full report can be read here.

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The only downfall is that they stated that they could not find enough “scientific evidence” that would support screening children under 8 for anxiety, and 12 for depression. This means that the youngest that this screening could start would be 12 years old.

Lori Pbert, a USPSTF member, stated that they also did not have enough evidence if it would be beneficial to screen younger children for depression and anxiety as well as if a youth was a suicide risk. They are stating that more research needs to be done so that any programs like this could begin to be offered to youth. However, while the benefits of a program like this seem evident, there are some downfalls with it.

The most popular concern with screening programs is because people will often see it as ‘ruling something out’ when youth could pass a screening, but take a turn weeks or months later.

Symptoms of anxiety and depression can change and come on quickly. The experts stated that they wouldn’t want parents to dismiss a youth’s experiences just because they “passed” the screening. They would still need to focus and pay attention to their child and if there were any drastic changes in their mood or behavior.

Despite the drawbacks of this form of screening, there is still concern that something needs to be done to address the mental health in youth and get them the help that they need to thrive. It is always important to watch the mental health of our children, and reach out for help if it is needed.

Sources: Today, USPSTF