New guidelines highlight pediatric mental health needs
Only about half of teenagers with depression receive a diagnosis before they become adults, and about two-thirds go without help, according to a report that has spurred the release of revised guidelines on depression screening and management for children from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
The updated guidelines, GLAD PC (Guidelines for Adolescent Depression in Primary Care), include a new recommendation that all children aged older than 12 years be screened for depression at least once per year.1
Rachel Zuckerbrot, MD, a board-certified child and adolescent psychiatrist and associate professor of Clinical Psychology at Columbia University, New York City, and coauthor of the report, also helped to craft the AAP’s updated guidelines. She says the report and the guidelines highlight the need to address mental health in pediatric well-child care.