Preventive Services Task Force Does Not Recommend Suicide Screenings for Children
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released a draft recommendation statement Tuesday regarding suicide screenings for adolescents and children.
According to the recommendations, screenings for major depressive disorders are not recommended for children aged 11 or younger.
The task force advised that this is because current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for major depressive disorders in that age range.
Current studies show that suicide is the second-leading cause of death among youth aged 10-19.
Many screening tools are used in primary care to identify depression in children and adolescents, but according to the task force these tools can take longer to administer and can be less accurate for specific conditions.
Screening instruments could include components related to suicidal ideation, self-harm behaviors, and assessment of past attempts and behaviors, but evidence is lacking for how often primary care providers screen for suicide risk in children and adolescents.
Screening for massive depressive disorders or suicide risk in young children actually holds potential harms, as false-positive screening results can lead to unnecessary referrals, associated time, economic burdens, treatment, labeling, anxiety and stigma.
The task force found no evidence on appropriate or recommended screening intervals for depression, and the optimal interval is unknown.
They did find that for adolescents with risk factors for depression, repeated screening can be productive, and an opportunistic screening may be appropriate for adolescents who have infrequent health care visits.
The draft recommendations are currently open for public comment through May 9, 2022.
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