USPSTF recommends anxiety screening for all adults under 65

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has released draft recommendations calling for all adult medical patients younger than age 65 years to undergo screening for anxiety.

Although the advisory panel launched work on the guidance before the COVID-19 pandemic began, the tremendous stress borne by Americans during the public health emergency helped shape the recommendations.

Lori Pbert, USPSTF member and a clinical psychologist and professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, told the New York Times that grief over the loss of friends and family members who succumbed to COVID-19 and fear of getting sick, along with rising crime rates and inflation, are some of the reasons behind the emotional crisis brewing in the United States.

The USPSTF task force, which made a similar case earlier this year for children and adolescents to undergo anxiety checks, is accepting public comment on the adult guidance through October 17, 2022.