Government Therapy

Is the “Solution” the Problem?

For the first time in its history, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), a medical advisory service to the federal government, has recommended a national program to screen all adults under 65 for anxiety disorders. It would ideally happen as part of every annual health checkup, says Dr. Lori Pbert, a task-force member and professor at UMass Chan Medical School.

Generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety, separation anxiety, and phobias would all be targeted. Citing U.S. data collected from 2001 to 2022, the Task Force warns that 26.4 percent of men and 40.4 percent of women will suffer from at least one of these conditions over the course of their lives. And because anxiety disorders are currently...