Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Kids Ages 8 And Up Should Get Screened For Anxiety: Experts
For the first time,聽US Preventive Services Task Force recommended on Tuesday that聽children ages 8 and older be screened for anxiety. It also suggested聽those 12 and older be screened for depression. A聽month ago,聽the group recommended all adults under 65 be evaluated for the same conditions.聽The task force urges preventative screening for children and adolescents who don鈥檛 have a mental health diagnosis and don鈥檛 show symptoms. (Ighodaro, 10/12)
An influential national panel of preventive health experts on Tuesday recommended for the first time that children and adolescents between 8 and 18 should be screened for anxiety, but said there was insufficient evidence to say that children 7 and under should be screened. (McFarling, 10/11)
In other mental health news 鈥�
The midlife crisis is real, new research tells us. People in their 40s and 50s, in rich countries, are prone to a rise in suicidal thoughts, job stress, depression and alcohol dependence, according to a new paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research. (Pandey, 10/11)
Dogs see the world through their noses. Their exceptional ability to recognize specific scents 鈥� vastly better than humans鈥� 鈥� helps them find bombs, guns, drugs and human remains, and point to some diseases. Now a study has found that dogs can do something just as remarkable: sniff out stress in people. (Cimons, 10/11)
Last year at this time, Communities United, a survivor-led, grassroots, intergenerational, racial justice organization in Chicago set their sights on changing the mental health landscape for youth with the help of Lurie Children鈥檚 Hospital of Chicago. The goal was to develop a wholistic plan for youth that moves the mental health conversation from one focused on individual treatment to one that supports community healing. (Rockett, 10/11)
If you are in need of help 鈥�