Expression of Mental Illness during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Social MEDIA Analysis
Author(s)
ABSTRACT WITHDRAWN
OBJECTIVES: The Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) infection pandemic was first reported in China end of 2019 and reached Australia in February 2020. At that time, Australia imposed a 6-week lockdown to stop the spread of the disease. The impact of the lockdown and social distancing measures on mental health are not well understood. This study was designed to observe trend in expression of mental illness as analyzed from social media posts from the first 6 months of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. METHODS: In this retrospective database analysis, all data was captured from Beyondblue.org.au, an Australian social forum network for mental health, open to all Australian residents. The study period under consideration was from Jan 1st, 2019 to Jun 30th, 2019 and Jan 1st, 2020 to Jun 30th, 2020. All posts were analyzed using natural language processing and were categorized as: 1) Depression; 2) Anxiety; 3) Suicidal ideation or 4) Post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD). The relative change in frequency of posts for each category was analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 2359 posts were identified: 999 in 2019, and 1,360 in 2020, a 36.14% increase. Overall, anxiety was the most common topic (41%), followed by depression (28%), PTSD (15%) and suicidal ideation (13%). From 2019 to 2020, the relative frequency of posts for depression, anxiety and PTSD decreased by 14%, 7% and 2%, respectively, however the relative frequency of posts for suicidal ideation increased by 23%. CONCLUSIONS: The early 2020 period was associated with an overall increased expression of mental distress in the Beyondblue platform, and a potential worsening of mental health status, from anxiety and depression towards expressed suicidal ideation. Implementation of lockdown measures may require greater resources for mental health care for at-risk populations.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2020-11, ISPOR Europe 2020, Milan, Italy
Value in Health, Volume 23, Issue S2 (December 2020)
Code
PMH45
Topic
Epidemiology & Public Health, Patient-Centered Research
Topic Subcategory
Patient-reported Outcomes & Quality of Life Outcomes, Public Health
Disease
Mental Health