• When comparing search interest for “ health ” and “ mental health ,” interest in mental health is substantially less than interest in more general health categories . As expected , interest in broader , COVID-related health terms peaked in March and April 2020 , as lockdowns took place and other health topics gained general focus .
• Lakeland residents have a greater than average interest in behavioral health issues . Google Trends ranks cities by their interest in search terms . For the search term “ health ,” Lakeland ranked 38 out of 50 in the geographic region while it ranked 14 th for “ mental health ” indicating that more people in Lakeland and Polk County are searching Google for mental health issues .
Google Search Interest Over Time for “ Mental Health ” by Geographic Region
• Throughout the state ( including the Polk County area ), access to care and issues related to awareness of services are leading topics . Top search terms for that state include “ Florida mental health ,” “ mental health services ,” “ what is mental health ,” “ mental health near me ,” and “ mental health counselor .” The top rising search terms – i . e ., the ones being sought out at a rapid , increasing rate – include “ mental health facility near me ” and similar terms .
• Mental health search interest is highest in the Gainesville region followed by West Palm Beach . The Tampa-St . Petersburg area is ranked 4 out of the 10 metro areas defined by Google . When looking at Florida by cities , Gainesville is ranked number one .
Mental Health Disorders Google Search Interest
Greater public anxiety is reflected in the June / July time frame . Approximately 35 % of U . S . adults have reported they have gone online to learn about medical condition they or someone else might have .
40 While search interest for mental health has remained fairly stable , search interest for some mental health disorders ( e . g ., depression ) in the area has increased since 2018 . Search interest for lifestyle behaviors , such as marijuana use and child abuse , has decreased .
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