NEW YORK - A panel of medical experts Tuesday recommended for the first time that doctors screen all adult patients younger than 65 for anxiety, guidance that highlights the extraordinary stress levels that have plagued the United States since the start of the pandemic.
Americans have been reporting outsize anxiety levels in response to a confluence of stressors, including inflation and crime rates, fear of illness and loss of loved ones from Covid-19. In response to the recommendations, mental health care providers emphasised that screening programmes are useful only if they lead patients to effective solutions.
For many Americans, the screening could simply reveal a temporary period of distress and a need for extra support. Women have nearly double the risk of depression compared with men, studies show, and the recommendation paid special attention to screenings for pregnant and postpartum patients.