Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In A First, Federal Panel Recommends Anxiety Screening For Adults Under 65
The New York Times: Health Panel Recommends Anxiety Screening For All Adults Under 65
A panel of medical experts on Tuesday recommended for the first time that doctors screen all adult patients under 65 for anxiety, guidance that highlights the extraordinary stress levels that have plagued the United States since the start of the pandemic. The advisory group, called the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, said the guidance was intended to help prevent mental health disorders from going undetected and untreated for years or even decades. It made a similar recommendation for children and teenagers earlier this year. (Baumgaertner, 9/20)
AP: US Adults Should Get Routine Anxiety Screening, Panel Says
The recommendations are based on a review that began before the COVID-19 pandemic, evaluating studies showing potential benefits and risks from screening. Given reports of a surge in mental health problems linked with pandemic isolation and stress, the guidance is “very timely,” said Lori Pbert, a task force member and co-author. Pbert is a psychologist-researcher at the University of Massachusetts’ Chan Medical School. The task force said evidence for benefits, including effective treatments, outweighs any risks, which include inaccurate screening results that could lead to unnecessary follow-up care. (Tanner, 9/20)
In related news —
The Hill: Nearly 1 In 10 Americans Suffer From Depression, Study Says
A growing number of Americans are struggling with depression and most are not seeking treatment or are undertreated for the mental health disorder, according to a new study. A study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found almost 1 in 10 Americans reported suffering from depression in 2020, with rates of the mental health disorder higher among adolescents and young adults. (Guzman, 9/20)
USA Today: COVID: Stress Levels Among Women Are At 10-Year High, Survey Shows
Levels of stress, anxiety, worry, sadness and anger among women worldwide are at a 10-year high, according to a new report. In one of the largest studies on women’s well-being, analytics firm Gallup and medical tech company Hologic, Inc. teamed up to survey over 66,000 women in 122 countries around the world. (Rodriguez, 9/21)
Fox News: Study Suggests Older Adults Show Greater Mental Well-Being Despite Cognitive Decline
A study published this month in Psychology and Aging by researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine indicates that adults over 60 showed greater mental well-being but worse cognitive performance than younger adults. Adults in their 20s tended to have more experience with anxiety, depression and loneliness than seniors. (Nieto, 9/20)
Also —
The Hill: VA Finds Veterans Suicides Drop In Past Two Years, But Data May Be Lacking
The average number of veteran suicides per day in the United States has fallen to the lowest it’s been since 2006, according to new Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) data, but those figures might not paint the whole picture. The VA’s National Veteran Suicide Prevention Annual Report, released Monday, found that there were 6,146 veteran suicide deaths in 2020, or about 16.8 a day. (Mitchell, 9/20)
