American expert: Children 8 years and older need to be screened for anxiety

The pandemic has raised new stressors for children due to isolation, disruption of routines and uncertainty about the future. Some children, especially those who have experienced anxiety when returning to the classroom after months of online learning, have expressed fear. That is the information that has just been released by the Wall Street Journal this week based on the Report of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The article cited CDC’s survey of more than 7,700 American students showing that more than one-third of high school students said they had mental health from the start of the pandemic to June 2021. About 44% reported a lingering feeling of sadness or hopelessness in the 12 months prior to this survey.

The CDC’s report on adolescent mental health during the pandemic also found that about 20% of high school students surveyed said they had seriously considered suicide in the 12 months before they started thinking about suicide. this survey took place.

The worsening state of mental health in children has prompted an influential group of American experts to recommend for the first time, screening for anxiety for all children between the ages of 8 and 18.

The article cited a report from the American Institute of Child Mental Health showing that anxiety disorders in children are closely related to an increased risk of depression, anxiety, behavioral disorders, substance abuse. and including suicidal ideation.

According to the article, besides examining at medical facilities, parents can also identify anxiety in their children through basic signs such as: eating too much or too little; sleeping more or less than usual, decreased academic performance, changes in relationships, irritability, irritability, sensitivity to criticism, loss of interest in activities, frequent pain headaches or stomachaches, alienation from others and resistance to going to school or sleeping alone…

The US press quoted a special expert group from the CDC as saying that more time is still needed to survey and research, but screening for anxiety in children aged 8 years and older is an urgent requirement. Currently, it is necessary to detect early and prevent unpredictable consequences, especially the risk of suicide, which is the second leading cause of death among American children aged 10 to 19 years.

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