Insomnia-related Baidu Index During the COVID-19 Outbreak in China:Infodemiology Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuying Chu ◽  
Xue Wang ◽  
Jianing Ma ◽  
Hongliang Dai
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Student’S T ◽  
Long Term Impact ◽  
Search Index

BACKGROUND Since December 2019, an unexplained pneumonia has broken out in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. In order to prevent the rapid spread of this disease, quarantine or lockdown measures were taken by Chinese government. These measures turned out to be effective in containing the contagious disease. Quarantine itself, however, would potentially cause certain health risks among the affected population, such as sleep disorder. OBJECTIVE The aims of this work were to analyze the volume of insomnia-related search during the COVID-19 outbreak in China, to explore the potential use of the Baidu Index for monitoring social and psychological distress, and to help community health workers provide timely and effective interventions for the public. METHODS In the context of the pandemic, we conducted a descriptive analysis of the overall search situation. Spearman's correlation analysis was used to explore the relationship between daily search index values for insomnia-related terms and daily newly confirmed cases. The means of search volume for insomnia-related terms during the COVID-19 quarantine or knockdown period (January 23rd, 2020 to April 8th, 2020) were compared with the those during 2016 to 2019 using a Student's t test. Finally, by analyzing the overall daily mean of insomnia in various provinces, we further evaluated whether there existed regional differences in searching for insomnia during COVID-19 isolation. RESULTS During the COVID-19 period, search volume in each category had increased significantly, especially the “treatment” category. A significant positive correlation between daily newly confirmed cases and most of insomnia-related Baidu Index was identified. Compared with the same period in the past 4 years, a significant change in insomnia-related search volume was found with COVID-19 quarantine period. We also found that all provinces suffered from insomnia during the quarantine period, with Guangdong province representing the leading areas for insomnia-related search. CONCLUSIONS Quarantine measures have led to an increase in insomnia-related searches during the COVID-19 pandemic. Community medical staff should use big data-based tools to screen for insomnia and mental health problems. Early interventions toward insomnia and associated mental health are also essential for prevention and reduction of the long-term impact of the major traumatic events.

Insomnia-related Baidu Index During the COVID-19 Outbreak in China: Infodemiology Study (Preprint)

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuying Chu ◽  
Xue Wang ◽  
Hongliang Dai
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Correlation Analysis ◽  
Cross Correlation ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
Search Volume ◽  
Cross Correlation Analysis

BACKGROUND Since December 2019, an unexplained pneumonia has broken out in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. In order to prevent the rapid spread of this disease, quarantine or lockdown measures were taken by Chinese government. These measures turned out to be effective in containing the contagious disease. Quarantine itself, however, would potentially cause certain health risks among the affected population, such as sleep disorder. OBJECTIVE The aims of this work were to analyze the volume of insomnia-related search during the COVID-19 outbreak in China, to explore the potential use of the Baidu Index for monitoring social and psychological distress, and to help community health workers provide timely and effective interventions for the public. METHODS In the context of the pandemic, we conducted a descriptive analysis of the overall search situation. Spearman's correlation and cross-correlation analysis were used to explore the relationship between daily search index values for insomnia-related terms and daily newly confirmed cases. The means of search volume for insomnia-related terms during the COVID-19 quarantine or knockdown period (January 23rd, 2020 to April 8th, 2020) were compared with those during 2016 to 2019 using a Student's t test. Finally, by analyzing the overall daily mean of insomnia in various provinces, we further evaluated whether there existed regional differences in searching for insomnia during COVID-19 isolation. RESULTS During COVID-19 lockdown, the number of insomnia-related searches increased significantly, especially the average daily the Baidu Index for “the best treatment for insomnia” reaching 5,923.86. Seventeen out of the 24 insomnia related search terms were associated with daily newly confirmed cases, of which “a simple cure for insomnia” had the closest correlation (r=0.676; P<.001). The cross-correlation analysis also verified the forward or backward time correlation between daily newly confirmed cases and the search terms. Compared with the same period in the past four years, a significant change in insomnia-related search volume was found during COVID-19 quarantine period. We also found that all provinces suffered from insomnia during the quarantine period, with Guangdong province representing the leading areas for insomnia-related search. CONCLUSIONS Quarantine measures have led to an increase in insomnia-related searches during the COVID-19 pandemic. Community medical staff should use big data-based tools to screen for insomnia and mental health problems. Early interventions toward insomnia and associated mental health are also essential for prevention and reduction of the long-term impact of the major traumatic events.

scholarly journals The market for a community rehabilitation service

1994 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-76
Author(s):  
M.T. Spurrell ◽  
C.S. Thomas
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Negative Symptoms ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Mental Health Workers ◽  
Psychiatric Nurses ◽  
Rehabilitation Service ◽  
Professional Groups ◽  
Community Rehabilitation ◽  
Home Based

Fifty-two mental health workers in South Manchester were asked to complete a survey to try to identify patients with chronic mental health problems who would benefit from home-based rehabilitation. These patients were known to the services but were unwilling to attend activities in the day hospital or day centre or come into hospital for in-patient rehabilitation. Seventy per cent of the mental health workers who comprised psychiatrists, social workers and community psychiatric nurses completed the survey. Overall 68 patients were identified. Negative symptoms or defect state were the most frequently reported problems with difficulties with engaging or poor compliance being the next most frequently reported problem. There were some differences in the ranking of the order of problems by different professional groups.

scholarly journals Perception and Experiences of the Front Line Health Workers (FLWs) Attending Suspected or Confirmed Covid-19 Patients in Bangladesh: a Cross-sectional Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bushra Zarin Islam ◽  
Mir Raihanul Islam ◽  
Samiun Nazrin Bente Kamal Tune ◽  
Syed Masud Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Close Contact ◽  
Descriptive Analysis ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Snowball Sampling ◽  
Front Line ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Asymptomatic Patients

Abstract Background: Front-line health workers (FLWs) are always at a very high risk of being infected by COVID 19 due to their close contact with patients; thus, proper protection is critical. Concerning the FLWs' safety, Bangladesh's haphazard health system preparedness response on the eve of the pandemic triggered an uncoordinated management crisis, making the FLWs even more vulnerable. This study aims to elicit FLWs' perceptions and experiences regarding personal safety against COVID-19 while attending suspected/confirmed cases in the pandemic's early days. Methods: A mixed-methods quick telephone survey of a cross-sectional design was conducted during April and May 2020. 60 FLWs of various categories and levels from 14 districts and 43 institutions participated in the study in two rounds (initial and follow up) by four weeks apart. The participants were chosen using a combination of purposive sampling and the snowball sampling method and responded to a semi-structured questionnaire. Descriptive analysis was done for quantitative data, and qualitative data were thematically analysed.Results: The FLWs were obvious about the necessity of using Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) for suspected/confirmed COVID-19 cases with suspected/asymptomatic patients. All types and levels of FLWs did not get the needed formal training on COVID-19 management and prevention. During the initial round, only 75% and 57% FLWs received PPEs and training for their proper use, respectively. Concerns about spreading the infection to family members precipitated mental health problems for the FLWs, so they recommended some safety measures, e.g. separate accommodation, transport, modified duty roaster during COVID placement. After almost a month, the follow-up round showed that a total of 76% FLWs received PPEs, but only 20% received training about them during the last month. The recommended measures were found to be more beneficial for physicians than the other FLWs. Conclusion: COVID 19 highlighted the shortcomings of Bangladesh's health systems and the low priority given to public health. This hampered the COVID 19 response, which was late, fragmented, and poorly coordinated, putting the FLWs at risk even more. Nonetheless, a coordinated, integrated approach involving all relevant authorities is required, and the health ministry should direct an efficient and inclusive COVID response.

Increasing Trends in Physical and Mental Health Problems among US Workers in Different Job Sectors During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 90-102
Author(s):  
Gopal K Singh ◽  
Hyunjung Lee ◽  
Romuladus E. Azuine
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Public Sector ◽  
Family Business ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
The Self ◽  
Physical And Mental Health ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
The Government

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has had a substantial adverse impact on workers’ employment and physical and mental health. However, job losses, job-related household income shocks, and their related physical and mental health problems have not been well-documented. Using temporal, nationally representative data, this study examines inequalities in job-related income losses and their resultant health impact among US workers aged 18-64 years in different job sectors during the pandemic. Methods: Using April, August, and December 2020 rounds of the US Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey (N=56,156, 82,173, and 51,500), job-related income losses among workers in various job sectors and associated impacts on self-assessed health, depression, anxiety, worry, and lack of interest were analyzed by multivariable logistic regression. Results: In December 2020, 64.0% of self-employed and 66.3% of unemployed adults reported that they or someone in their household experienced a loss of employment income since the start of the pandemic in March 2020. This percentage was the lowest for the public sector (35.2%) and non-profit-sector (45.0%) workers. Job/income losses increased by 26% between April and December for workers in the private and non-profit sectors. Prevalence of fair/poor overall health, serious depression, serious anxiety, serious worry, and serious lack of interest increased substantially during the pandemic for workers in all sectors, with the self-employed, those in the family business, and the unemployed experiencing the highest risk and those in the government/public and non-profit sectors experiencing the lowest risk of poor physical and mental health. Workers in all sectors reporting job-related income losses experienced approximately 2-to-4-fold higher odds of poor overall health, serious depression, serious anxiety, serious worry, and serious lack of interest, compared to public-sector workers with no job/income losses, controlling for covariates. Conclusion and Implications for Translation: Job-related income losses and prevalence of poor overall health and mental health among workers in all sectors increased markedly during the pandemic, with the self-employed, family business, and unemployed workers being especially vulnerable to poor health, depression, anxiety, and stress.   Copyright © 2021 Singh, et al. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work, first published in this journal, is properly cited.

scholarly journals Perinatal mental health around the world: priorities for research and service development in Sweden

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Birgitta Wickberg ◽  
Marie Bendix ◽  
Margareta Blomdahl Wetterholm ◽  
Alkistis Skalkidou
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Mental Healthcare ◽  
Perinatal Mental Health ◽  
Service Development ◽  
Immigrant Parents ◽  
Effective Interventions ◽  
Assessment And Treatment

Sweden has a unique opportunity to identify and follow up women presenting with, or at risk for, perinatal mental health problems and disorders because universal screening programmes are provided by its primary healthcare system. Although they are implemented across almost the entire population, screening programmes are not necessarily leading to effective interventions because the multidisciplinary perinatal mental healthcare teams that provide for the assessment and treatment of moderate to severe disorders are very few in number and must be increased. In particular, efforts to reach immigrant parents must be intensified to achieve equal quality of care for all.

scholarly journals Sustained Neglect in Mental Health during Nepal’s Crises

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shiva Raj Mishra ◽  
Pratik Khanal ◽  
Vishnu Khanal
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health System ◽  
Health Care Services ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Medical Training ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Mental Health Policy ◽  
Health Problems ◽  
Political Conflict ◽  
Mental Health Training

Conflict in Nepal seems never resolving and the current generation has grown up in the environment of armed and political conflict characterized by indiscriminate killing, violent demonstration and widespread hostility. Adding to agony, the April 2015 earthquake left two million homeless and the 2015 Indo-Nepal economic blockade has created hostility among different community ethnic groups. With such background, this commentary highlights issues related to conflict, disaster and their relation to mental health. We also identify some gaps in existing health system, medical education and current focus on preventive approach to mental health. Mental health policy was endorsed in 1996; however, the policy has never been implemented in the fullest sense. Psychiatric services are provided by tertiary hospitals with no linkage to community-level primary health care services. Medical training still lacks mental health training at basic cadres of health workers and only small number of seats is allocated for post-graduate degree. Nepal continue to experience conflicts and disasters possibly leading to an increased burden of mental health problems and its health system is further distressed by the increasing gaps in provision of mental health service. With the devastating effect of the April 2015 earthquake, there is even higher need of serious effort to treat and prevent mental health problems with evidence-though limited depicting increase in burden of mental health problems. The state should stop putting half-hearted response to mental health problems and put more effort on long-term sustainable and culturally suitable solutions.Keywords: conflict, mental health, Nepal

scholarly journals Strategies for Delivering Mental Health Services in Response to Global Climate Change: A Narrative Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (22) ◽  
pp. 8562
Author(s):  
Lawrence A. Palinkas ◽  
Meaghan L. O’Donnell ◽  
Winnie Lau ◽  
Marleen Wong
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Mental Health ◽  
Mental Health Problems ◽  
Health Workers ◽  
Civil Conflict ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Environmental Conservation ◽  
Narrative Review ◽  
Extreme Weather Events

This narrative review examined strategies for preparedness and response to mental health impacts of three forms of climate change from a services perspective: (1) acute and extreme weather events such as hurricanes, floods, and wildfires, (2) sub-acute or long-term events such as droughts and heatwaves; and (3) the prospect of long-term and permanent changes, including higher temperatures, rising sea levels, and an uninhabitable physical environment. Strategies for acute events included development and implementation of programs and practices for monitoring and treating mental health problems and strengthening individual and community resilience, training of community health workers to deliver services, and conducting inventories of available resources and assessments of at-risk populations. Additional strategies for sub-acute changes included advocacy for mitigation policies and programs and adaptation of guidelines and interventions to address the secondary impacts of sub-acute events, such as threats to livelihood, health and well-being, population displacement, environmental degradation, and civil conflict. Strategies for long-lasting changes included the implementation of evidence-based risk communication interventions that address the existing and potential threat of climate change, promoting the mental health benefits of environmental conservation, and promoting psychological growth and resilience.

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