Education News – Grace Smith
“New recommendations from the US Preventive Services Task Force suggest that adolescents be routinely screened for depression by primary care doctors, including family physicians and pediatricians. These doctors should be prepared to refer young people to treatment for depression if necessary, writes Carina Storrs for CNN. The recommendations were announced in the Annals of Internal Medicine. The Task Force decided there was valid evidence to support such screening for all kids 12 to 18. For children who are younger than 12, more evidence will be needed to find tests that are useful and treatments that are effective before a recommendation that doctors screen all young people in this age group can be proposed. Dr. Alex H. Krist, a family medicine associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and a member of the Task Force, said the advice is similar to recommendations for adults (18 and older).”(more)