Routine Screening for Depression Among Teens

Research tells us that roughly one in 20 teenagers in the United States suffers from clinical depression. The problem is most are not receiving treatment because they haven't been diagnosed. In a recent report, the US Preventive Services Task Force issued a recommendation for the routine screening of all adolescents in the primary care setting, even if they don't show signs of depression. Is this recommendation practical? And, can our healthcare system accommodate the likely increase in teens who would subsequently become candidates for mental health treatment? Dr. Barry Sarvet, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts, joins host Dr. Jennifer Shu for a discussion of the pros and cons of routine depression screening for teenagers.