A Panel Advises Americans To Undergo Regular Anxiety Testing

Sep, 2022 - By WMR

The most prevalent mental ailment in the US, anxiety disorders impact around 40 million individuals annually and include, among others, generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and social anxiety.

Eugene Beresin, a psychiatrist and executive director of the Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds, described the condition as "more typical than strep throat." Over the duration of the Covid-19 epidemic, there was a huge increase in the number of persons who had mental illness. According to a research published in the Lancet last year, the pandemic added 53.2 million new instances of severe depression and 76.2 million new cases of anxiety disorders globally.

The screening suggestion has received praise from experts, but others, like Dr. Beresin, have cautioned that it won't be enough to stop the escalating mental health epidemic on its own. The country's 258 million people have around 125,000 psychiatrists and psychologists between them, he told the BBC, adding that "the difficulty is we don't have the manpower to effectively take care of this."

So, he said, "What are we going to do?" She shares his worries, according to Dr. Pbert. She stated that it is hoped that mass screenings will raise awareness of a system that is overworked. We are aware of the shortage of mental health professionals, she remarked. "To fulfil the demand, we'll need to increase that workforce."

According to a well-known health standards body, all Americans under the age of 65 should have routine anxiety screenings from their doctors.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is the first to advise persons without symptoms to have an anxiety screening in primary care. The plan is available for public discussion until October 17; nonetheless, the panel often approves its draught recommendations.

The suggestions are based on an analysis of studies examining the possible advantages and hazards of screening that was started prior to the Covid-19 epidemic.