USPSTF recommends anxiety screening for ages 8 to 18

Abstract

Observing adequate evidence that treatment of anxiety with psychotherapy is associated with a moderate magnitude of benefit (e.g., treatment response, disease remission or resolution) for children and adolescents ages 8 to 18, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) on April 12 posted draft recommendation statements on screening for depression and suicide risk in children and adolescents. The task force recommends screening children 12 and older for depression and, for the first time, is recommending screening children ages 8 and older for anxiety.