Influential panel raises doubts on youth suicide screening

An influential U.S. group is raising doubts about routine suicide screening for children and teens even as others call for urgent attention to youth mental health.

In draft guidance posted Tuesday, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force said there’s not enough evidence to recommend routinely screening kids who show no obvious signs of being suicidal. The document is open for public comment until May 9, and opposing voices are already weighing in.

Many experts agree with the group’s assessment that more research is urgently needed but argue that there’s no evidence that screening — asking kids if they’ve ever considered or attempted suicide — could cause harm.

“In the meantime, what are you going to do with this mental health crisis? You cannot turn a blind eye,’’ said psychologist Lisa Horowitz of the National Institute of Mental Health.

The task force is an independent group of doctors and other experts that creates guidelines for prevention services in primary care settings, based on an analysis of research. The group's final recommendations often mirror its draft guidance. Insurance coverage decisions are often based on its advice.

The draft guidance pertains to screening in pediatricians' offices and similar settings for kids up to age 18.

In 2020, suicide was the second-leading cause of death for ages 10 to 14, and the third leading cause for ages 15 to 19, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Abundant reports suggest kids’ mental health has suffered during the pandemic, with troubling numbers of suicide attempts and increases in depression, anxiety, eating disorders and other signs of distress.

“Certainly, we all share the same concern about wanting to minimize this risk for young people and to intervene effectively so...