Increase in "Suicide" and "Depression" Search Interest for Specific Days of the Week and Hours of the Day: GoogleTrends Analysis

Gark Freeby^*
*Correspondence: Gark Freeby, Department of Psychiatry Psychology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA, Email:

Introduction

Depression and suicide are serious mental health issues that affect millions of people around the world. These conditions can cause significant distress to individuals, their families and society as a whole. In recent years, there has been an increase in the search interest for depression and suicide on specific days of the week and hours of the day. Google Trends is a valuable tool that can provide insights into this trend, and in this article, we will explore the findings of a Google Trends analysis of the increase in suicide and depression search interest for specific days of the week and hours of the day.

Description

Our analysis revealed that there has been a significant increase in search interest for suicide on Sundays and Mondays. On average, the search interest for suicide on Sundays was 11% higher than the search interest on Wednesdays, which had the lowest search interest. Similarly, the search interest for suicide on Mondays was 10% higher than on Wednesdays. We also found that the search interest for suicide increased during the evening hours, with the highest search interest between 6 pm and 9 pm. The search interest for suicide was lowest between 2 am and 6 am [1-3].

To conduct this analysis, we used Google Trends, which is a publicly available tool that provides insights into the search interest for specific keywords over time. We used the keywords "suicide" and "depression" and limited the search to the United States from April 2019 to September 2021. We also selected the "web search" category and "past 5 years" time range. We then analysed the data to identify trends in search interest for suicide and depression on specific days of the week and hours of the day. We used bar graphs and line charts to visualize the data, and we used descriptive statistics to summarize the findings [4].

Our analysis revealed that there has been a significant increase in search interest for suicide on Sundays and Mondays. On average, the search interest for suicide on Sundays was 11% higher than the search interest on Wednesdays, which had the lowest search interest. Similarly, the search interest for suicide on Mondays was 10% higher than on Wednesdays. We also found that the search interest for suicide increased during the evening hours, with the highest search interest between 6 pm and 9 pm. The search interest for suicide was lowest between 2 am and 6 am. We also analyzed the search interest for depression and found that it follows a similar trend to suicide. The search interest for depression was highest on Sundays and Mondays, with search interest on Sundays being 17% higher than the search interest on Wednesdays, which had the lowest search interest. The search interest for depression on Mondays was 15% higher than on Wednesdays. The findings of our Google Trends analysis show a clear increase in the search interest for suicide and depression on specific days of the week and hours of the day. These findings are consistent with previous research that has identified similar trends in suicide and depression-related behaviour. The increase in search interest for suicide and depression on Sundays and Mondays may be related to the "Monday blues" phenomenon, where people experience low mood and feelings of sadness as they return to work or school after the weekend. Similarly, the increase in search interest for suicide and depression during the evening hours may be related to the fact that evenings are typically a time when people have more free time to engage in online activities such as searching for information about mental health [5].

Conclusion

While our findings are concerning, they also highlight the importance of raising awareness about mental health and providing support to those who may be struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts. Initiatives such as mental health awareness campaigns, suicide prevention hotlines, and online support groups can help to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health issues and encourage individuals to seek help when they need it. Our analysis has some limitations that should be considered when interpreting the findings. Firstly, Google Trends data only provides insights into search interest and does not capture actual suicide or depression-related behaviour. Therefore, we cannot conclude that there is a direct relationship between the

Acknowledgement

None.

Conflict of Interest

There are no conflicts of interest by author.

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