Increase in Search Interest for “Suicide” and “Depression” for Particular Days of the Week and Times of Day: Analysis Based on Google Trends

Abstract

Depression is the most common disorder in people who attempt suicide or die by suicide. Research review indicate that therapy of depression (including psychoeducation) is one of the main factors in the prevention of suicidal behavior. In this paper we examine the intensification of search interest for the terms “depression” and “suicide” in Google search engine with regard to the time of day and day of the week in Poland, Germany, Great Britain and Italy. The goal of the study was to determine if there are any days of the week or hours when search for “suicide” and “depression” particularly increases. Numerous studies focusing not only on the seasonality of suicidal behavior, but also on the days of the week and hours, indicate that it is most often undertaken on Mondays in the night and early morning hours. The results of the research being the basis of this paper show a certain time coincidence: first, the increase in search interest for “suicide” and “depression” and then undertaking suicidal behavior (suicide and suicide attempts). Searching for terms “suicide” and “depression” usually took place (except in Italy) at weekends and most often in the late evening hours and at night. The conclusions from the research can be used in suicide prevention activities, for example in determining the hours of operation of individual helpline numbers.

Seasonal Trends in Suicide Attempts-Keywords Related Searches: A Google Trends Analysis

“…The authors conducted an extensive analysis of a large number of entries, assessing whether any of them had a direct connection with suicide attempts. In contrast to other cited studies [12,27], which revealed links to suicide attempts with keywords like "depression", "divorce", "unemployment", and complex phrases like "suicide guide", our study explored a broader spectrum of words. For example, a study from Taiwan [28] identified 37 relevant entries featuring the aforementioned terms.…”

“…Google Trends has been used in many different infodemiology studies for analysis [8,[12][13][14][15]. It has also revealed correlations between the frequency of certain search phrases and mental health conditions and addiction rates [12]. Researchers have made attempts to correlate specific search phrases with fluctuations in suicide rates [12,16].…”

“…It has also revealed correlations between the frequency of certain search phrases and mental health conditions and addiction rates [12]. Researchers have made attempts to correlate specific search phrases with fluctuations in suicide rates [12,16]. It is worth noting that suicide rates exhibit annual seasonality [17], and multiple algorithms have been employed in different countries to predict spikes in suicide rates [16,18,19].…”

Infodemiology as a Powerful Tool in Public Health: Bridging the Digital Divide for Better Well-being

“…Google Trends has the ability to examine the window of time during which search terms are most frequent. Literature show that searches for "suicide" and "depression" usually occures on weekends, especially late at night [51] . Such information indicates the necessity of providing psychological assistance calls during weekends and late-night hours.…”