New recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force could mean anxiety screenings for the whole family during annual checkups. Following the volunteer task force’s recent statement that adults under 65 should receive routine anxiety screenings, the group has now recommended the same for children between the ages eight to 18.
Previously, the task force had provided guidance that all adolescents between the ages of 12 to 18 should be screened for depression as well—a position it has reaffirmed in its full statement earlier this week.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 5.8 million children between three and 17 years old have been diagnosed with anxiety and about 2.7 million have been diagnosed with depression. Researchers also believe that anxiety disorder in adolescence has been associated with an “increased likelihood of a future anxiety disorder or depression.” While the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force isn’t a regulatory body, its recommendations are influential among health professionals.
“The U.S. Task Force’s recommendation for routine screening for adults under 65 is a big step forward in decreasing stigma and increasing opportunities for early intervention and treatment for anxiety,” says Lisa Desai, Psy.D., chief behavioral health officer at MindWise Innovations, a mental health organization. “The prior recommendation by the Task Force for children to be screened is also crucial as we know that mental health conditions and suicide risk are increasing among youth, and as early as elementary school. Just as with medical illness, the earlier we can identify mental health struggles, the more effective treatment can be.”
Screening is a valuable first step in early identification of mental illness and suicide risk in all ages, but is especially important for at-risk populations, such as working-age men, marginalized communities, and young people who face considerable pressures and risks, says Desai.
Risk factors for anxiety disorders include a variety of genetic, personality, and environmental factors, such as “attachment difficulties, interparental conflict, parental overprotection, early parental separation, and child maltreatment,” according to researchers. Low socioeconomic status is also associated with higher rates of anxiety disorders.
The 2016 National Survey of Children’s Health also found that anxiety conditions were most common in children aged 12 to 17 years compared with 11 years old or younger. LGBTQ+ youth are at an even higher risk with 72% of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer youth and 77% of transgender and nonbinary youth describing symptoms of general anxiety disorder, according to the 2021 National Survey on LGBTQ Youth Mental Health.
Currently there is no universal screening for anxiety or depression, but there are evidence-based surveys and questionnaires that can help determine whether a child is in need of additional support.
“Knowing how to have conversations about mental health and being aware of available resources is necessary to fully realize the potential benefits of mental health screening,” Desai continues.
