Anxiety on the Rise: A Growing Behavioral Health Crisis
Anxiety disorders have become one of the leading behavioral health challenges around the world, affecting millions of people and continuing to rise.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) reports that from 1990 to 2019, the number of people affected by anxiety worldwide increased by more than 55%, reaching around 301 million individuals. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), anxiety disorders are the most common behavioral health concern in the U.S. More than 40 million adults —about 19%—deal with anxiety, and roughly 7% of kids between 3 and 17 face anxiety-related challenges each year. For most people, symptoms begin before they turn 21.
Common Symptoms
Emotional:
Restlessness
Irritability
Feeling tense
Anticipating the worst
Physical:
Racing heart
Shortness of breath
Sweating
Headaches
Upset stomach
Contributing Factors
Several factors contribute to this rise:
Pandemic Aftermath: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a 25% global increase in anxiety and depression cases, exacerbated by social isolation, economic uncertainty, and health fears.
Digital and social media: Increased screen time and social media use have been linked to heightened anxiety, especially among adolescents.
Socioeconomic Stressors: Economic instability, academic pressures, and concerns about the future contribute to rising anxiety levels.
Reduced Stigma to Admit Challenges and Seek Help: Over the past several years, awareness of mental health issues has risen in the media, with many public figures, including athletes and performers, discussing their own challenges and stepping back from competitions and performances to seek help. The increased public awareness has made it more acceptable to admit these challenges, which has increased reported cases of anxiety globally.
Addressing this crisis requires urgent attention. Investing in behavioral health services, promoting awareness, and implementing preventive measures are crucial steps toward alleviating the burden of anxiety disorders.
Addressing the Crisis with MHT’s SmarTest® AI
By implementing behavioral health screening with MHT’s SmarTest AI® solution, your practice can efficiently and effectively screen patients for a variety of behavioral health concerns, including anxiety. We facilitate introductions to nationally available behavioral health partners, making it a seamless process to refer your patients. Based on results, SmarTest AI® can also ask the patient if they are interested in advanced treatment options. The screening and referral process is entirely automated, eliminating the administrative burden.
SmarTest AI® Anxiety Statistics:
Our data shows that, overall, anxiety has increased over time. However, Behavioral Health practices that identified patients struggling with anxiety were able to effectively treat them and help reduce their anxiety levels.
Of the patients who were identified as having some level of anxiety
For Non-Behavioral Health practices (primary care, urgent care, etc.), from 2024 to 2025 there was an increase in score for the GAD-7 by approximately 1.7%
For Behavioral Health practices using SmarTest AI®, we saw a decline in score of 25.6% from 2024 to 2025 for patients across many different treatment types. For these practices, SmarTest AI® helped identify patients struggling with anxiety and then provided a way to measure the efficacy of their treatments over time.
How it works:
SmarTest AI® integrates with your EMR
When a patient makes an appointment, SmarTest AI® receives that information (including the appointment type, provider, and patient information, etc.)
Based on customized screening parameters set by the medical director, SmarTest AI® determines which assessments the patient should receive prior to the appointment.
Assessments are sent by text, email, or clinic device; results are automatically uploaded to the patient’s chart with abnormal results flagged.
Send designated staff members real-time alerts and redirect patients upon assessment completion to a URL of your choice.
If a patient qualifies, SmarTest AI® asks if they would like to be contacted by a specialist. With patient consent, that referral is automated to the appropriate level of care.
MHT facilitates introductions to nationally available behavioral health partners. Your practice determines which partner you would like to refer to.
We offer Risk-Free Proof of Concept trials to qualified healthcare providers. Visit our website or contact us to learn more.
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