Suicide Prevention-Related Google Searches and Subsequent Emergency Department Visits in California and Arizona, 2007–2015

Details

• Personal Author:
  Catalano R ; Colbeth HL ; Eisen EA ; Goldman-Mellor S ; Neumann K ; Riddell CA
• Description:
  Introduction: United States emergency departments (ED) visit rates for nonfatal self-harm increased by 42% from 2001 to 2016. Previous suicide mortality research has provided conflicting evidence on the use of suicide-related Internet searches as a surveillance tool for self-harm and suicidal ideation. However, few have used rigorous approaches to account for autocorrelation at the aggregate level, and none have focused on Internet searches related to suicide prevention. Methods and results: Over a 9-year study period (2007-2015), suicidality-related search data were extracted using the Google Health Application Programming Interface (API) for Arizona and California - states, chosen for their differing age distributions and rigorous ED injury coding policies. We examined several combined suicide prevention-related search queries. Using autoregressive integration moving average (ARIMA) models and a Box-Jenkins approach, we assessed whether increased prevention-related Internet searches related to suicidality are predictive of lower subsequent ED visits related to suicidal ideation with or without self-harm injury. In both states, greater prevention-related queries were associated with lower ED visits approximately four to six weeks later. Conclusions: Our results indicate that Internet-based search volumes related to suicide prevention may have the potential to monitor suicidality and online suicide prevention resources offer meaningful opportunities for mental health support. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Emergency Responders Epidemiology Mental Health Nervous System Occupational Health Safety Suicide
• Keywords:
  ARIMA Models Author Keywords: Time-series Analysis Emergency Care Emergency Departments Google Search Mental Health Suicidal Ideation
• ISSN:
  2666-5603
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20070344
• Citation:
  SSM Ment Health 2024 Jun; 5:100316
• Contact Point Address:
  Hilary L. Colbeth, Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, USA
• Email:
  hcolbeth@berkeley.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2024
• Performing Organization:
  University of California, Berkeley
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  SSM - Mental Health
• End Date:
  20250630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:326a13f4245b059d2d0acb8b1cf485602f52c923f44993e54472e6bc79b5e406fa0bbbc208d817533cf8b160f554d9e74fab2b8b50306f871802acfc4750f38b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/208577/cdc_208577_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 753.16 KB ]