Experts: Even young children should be screened for anxiety

For more than a year, doctors and mental health professionals across the country have been warning that children are experiencing a mental health crisis.

There’s now a new recommendation that even young children can be screened regularly for anxiety.

When it comes to childhood anxiety and depression, mental health professionals say it’s important to catch it early–even as early as eight years old.

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In the past two years, Tristyn Ball, Director of Prevention and Early Intervention Services at Montgomery County ADAMHS, has worked to address the child mental health crisis.

“There has been a huge increase in just mental health concerns, especially since 2020 since the onset of COVID,” Ball said.

During the pandemic 70% of parents say their kids have experienced mental health issues.

There has been a 30% increase in mental health hospitalizations for children as young as seven.

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“Most of our school districts in Montgomery County are screening for mental health concerns at some capacity,” Ball said. “We have schools that are training their bus drivers, cafeteria staff, custodians.”

Their focus is on students at all levels.

“Usually younger students you’ll see...It’s a little more difficult because you do see a lot of energy. A lot of maybe disruptive behavior,” Ball said.

Ball says parents can often be the biggest help in noticing when a child’s behavior has changed.

“We’re able to link parents to resources through the ‘LocalHelpNow’ app. Which really gives parents access to all of our providers here locally,” Ball said.

“Generally the younger the child is the more resilient they are, but we want to make sure that we are intervening early,” she added.

Right now the recommendation does not include screening children as young as eight for suicide, but that advice could change

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