The US Preventive Services Task Force has recommended doctors assess patients for depression since 2002. But now, for the first time, is advocating for routine screening of anxiety in adults, with an additional focus on pregnant women and those who gave birth within the past year. This follows guidance from them last fall that said children as young as 8 should be screened.
The guidance comes as emotional stress has exploded in recent years, to say the least.
The Preventive Services Task Force is made up of independent health experts who volunteer their time to analyze and make recommendations about a certain subject via its data.
“This is a call to action” Dr. Wanda Nicholson, vice chair of the task force and a professor of prevention and community health at the George Washington Milken Institute of Public Health in Washington DC said.
For adults 65 and older, the task force said there was not enough evidence to support screenings.
Screening for anxiety is part of a doctor’s office visit. Doctors ask how often within the past two weeks a patient has been easily annoyed or irritable, bothered by uncontrollable worries or restlessness. Medication may then be prescribed as needed.
While the task force acknowledged a “moderate net benefit” to universal screenings, they noted that positive screening results should be followed up by an assessment and mental health care.
The new guidance may influence insurance company reimbursements, though doctors are not required to follow the group’s recommendations. Many do, however, which makes these recommendations powerful.
