Google adds anxiety self-assessment to search
The search giant is partnering with the National Alliance on Mental Illness to provide online resources.
Google is partnering with grassroots organization the National Alliance on Mental Illness to provide access to more mental health resources, including a clinically validated anxiety self-assessment, according to a release on Thursday.
Starting on Thursday, when Google users in the US search for information about anxiety, they will be directed to the self-assessment in Google's knowledge panel, the box of key facts and information at the top of the search results. Medically validated information about symptoms and common treatments of anxiety will also appear in the box.
The assessment is called the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, GAD-7, and will ask seven questions that health care professionals may ask when screening for anxiety. The assessment will also provide access to resources developed by NAMI.
"Anxiety disorders affect 48 million adults in the U.S. Anxiety presents itself as a wide range of symptoms and can be a result of biological factors or triggered by a change in environment or exposure to a stressful event," said Daniel H. Gillison Jr., CEO of NAMI, in a release. "With COVID-19 introducing new points of stress, communities are seeing a rise in mental health issues and needs."
New data released by the Census Bureau last week revealed that a third of Americans are showing signs of clinical anxiety or depression.
The anxiety self-assessment is the third mental health screen available on Google Search. NAMI has previous partners with Google to provide clinically validated questionnaires and resources for depression and PTSD.
Google says that it does not collect or share answers of results from the questionnaires to ensure results will be private and secure.
