Recently, Google released the most trending topics people searched on the platform during the last few months. Psychologists observed a significant rise in anxiety-related problems such as a panic attack treatment. People also looked for their treatments online.
According to Google Trends, anxiety-related searches such as what causes panic attacks and what is the panic attack treatment were on the rise. The data obtained from the Google search shows that mental health issues were trending during the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, researchers analyzed that these issues impacted millions of individuals around the world.
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The World Health Organization (WHO) announced in March that a pandemic has hit the world. After that, the researchers observed a surge in mental health-related searches on Google.
After the announcement of a global pandemic, millions of people searched for anxiety and panic attack treatment. They also looked for treatments available at home and easy solutions.
The data on Google updates every second from all over the world. People can analyze different trending topics from various countries. The study suggests that Google trends provide a better analysis of the situation instead of personal surveys.
People search their desired topic on the search engine according to their interest in the information. Thus, his data might be more accurate than other surveys.
Google trends previously helped researchers predict several issues in the community. The data provides information about the transmission of disease and the voting trend in a particular population. This data can also help analyze the prevalence of mental health problems in a population.
One of the most searched mental health terms is a panic attack on Google. The National Institutes of Mental Health defines it as an overwhelming condition and is extremely fearful.
People also searched for various panic attack symptoms online. This includes intensive sweating, increased heart rate, shortness of breath, and shaking. A person can experience some or all of these symptoms at once.
The Google trends analysis does not essentially indicate an increase in search-related to other major mental health issues. These include suicide, depression, abuse, and loneliness. However, researchers suggest that this does not mean these issues are not as prevalent among people.
Michael Hoerger is a psychology assistant professor at the Tulane University School of Science and Engineering. He is also the co-author of this study. Hoerger said that the findings show the biggest mental health issue among people at this time.
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He also said that this is a mental health tsunami caused due to coronavirus pandemic. The rate of unemployment surged during the last months of the pandemic. Also, the unanticipated chance of death and burnout added fuel to the fire. These factors led to an overall increase in mental health issues.
Hoerger also said that this rate will only increase in the future. People will suffer from more mental health issues as time progresses. The data only reveals a portion of the problem. However, the bigger picture is still in the shadow that will reveal more health issues.
There are many factors related to the death of a person due to coronavirus. It directly affects the family and friends of that person. Hence, death leads to mental health problems in the people who suffer from that grief. This shows that the effects of the virus are not only immediate but also long-lasting.
