Anxiety screening recommended for all adults under 65, highlighting connection between physical and mental health

With Americans experiencing mental health challenges at an unprecedented rate, a national panel of experts has recommended that doctors screen all adults under the age of 65 for anxiety.

the recommendation Tuesday by the US Preventive Services Task Force, an independent committee backed by the Department of Health and Human Services, was in development before the pandemic but is coming to fruition at an opportune time.

The pandemic exacerbated anxiety and depression for some, while others experienced new mental health challenges. Narrowly 42% of adults reported experiencing anxiety or depression in February 2021, up from about 36% in August 2020. Between 2001 and 2004, about 19% of adults reported experiencing anxiety in the past year, according to the task force.

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The number of people who received mental health treatment also increased between 2019 and 2021.

Last month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that Life expectancy in the US decreased for the second consecutive year, citing suicide as one of the main causes.

But it can take years or even decades, to obtain treatment for an anxiety disorder. The task force aims to improve access by getting clinicians to screen for anxiety.

“We want these people who do not yet show recognized signs and symptoms [of anxiety] connected to mindfulness,” said Lori Pbert, a task force member, clinical psychologist, and professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan School of Medicine in Worcester, Massachusetts.

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The panel found that screening tools, such as a commonly used seven-question survey, do a good job of identifying anxiety in its early stages among adults under the age of 65.

And treatments, including cognitive-behavioral treatment and psychotropic medications, can improve anxiety symptoms.

This is the first time the advisory panel has recommended anxiety screening for adults. I previously recommended teen anxiety tests Y depression tests for adults. The group said there isn’t enough evidence to recommend screening for anxiety in people older than 65.

The recommendation is now subject to a public comment period. until October 17.

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Everyone experiences anxiety at times, and recently people have had a lot to be anxious about: the pandemic, inflation, and armed violence in Philadelphia.

But there is a point where anxiety becomes unhealthy, says Kelly Gilrain, a licensed clinical psychologist, director of behavioral medicine and psychological services at Cooper University Health Care.

“It becomes problematic when it affects your daily functioning,” he said.

When anxiety affects sleep, changes in eating habits, leads to isolation or risk behaviors, can be a serious health problem and an impediment to general well-being. It’s also harmful when anxiety becomes chronic and coping mechanisms fail, he said.

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Over the past decade, Gilrain said he has seen an increase in medical providers asking about mental and behavioral health. Her work as a psychologist in a hospital demonstrates how health systems are increasingly making the connection between physical and mental health.

But mental health services not accessible to many — there is a shortage of providers, long wait times for appointments and visits can be costly if patients cannot use health insurance to offset the cost.

The new screening recommendations may mean that more people who need help are identified. That will only translate to better care if doctors have somewhere to send them, said Rachel Kishton, a board-certified physician in both family medicine and psychiatry who works at the University of Pennsylvania.

“What we really need to focus on is how do we turn that scientific knowledge into practical use in our communities,” Kishton said.

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Menachem Leasy, a family medicine physician at Temple University, worries that screening all patients for anxiety could create a time shortage for his practice. Mental health is a touchy subject that can’t always be briefly addressed in addition to the physical issue that brought the patient on, and you often have a waiting room full of patients who need your time.

But overall, Leasy thinks including anxiety screenings as part of every exam could be a good thing.

“It allows the dialogue to talk about mental health,” he said.