Table 1 Summary of features of the Google COVID-19 Search Trends symptoms, National Surveillance Syndromic Program, and Household Pulse Survey datasets used in the current study.
From: An evaluation of Internet searches as a marker of trends in population mental health in the US
Dataset | Variables | Time range | Sample demographic | Sample size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Google COVID-19 Symptom Search Dataset | Searches related to: (1) Anxiety (2) Depression (3) Suicidal ideation (4) Motion sickness | 01/01/2018–04/04/2021 (171 weeks) | US-wide Google search engine users | Tens of millions of users |
US Census Household Pulse Survey | Symptoms of (1) Anxiety (2) Depression | 04/27/2020–3/29/2021 (27 weeks) | US-wide nationally representative Internet survey | Sample size: Range: 39,447–118,897 |
Weighted response rate: Range: 1.3–10.3% | ||||
For mental health concerns, proportion reporting: (1) Taking prescription medication, (2) Receiving counseling or therapy, or (3) Unmet need | 08/19/2020–3/29/2021 (15 weeks) | US-wide nationally representative Internet survey | ||
National Syndromic Surveillance Program | Count of emergency department (ED) visits for age 10+ for: (1) Disaster related mental health, and (2) Suicide attempts | 12/30/2018–10/04/2020 (93 weeks) | Data from ED facilities in 48 US states and Washington DC | (1) Average # of ED visits for disaster related mental health: 40,192 (range: 30,034–45,618) |
(2) Average # of ED visits for suicide attempts: 4836 (range: 4064–5606) |
