Mental health talk leads to more admissions

HOSPITALS see a spike in mental health admissions on days when celebrities discuss their depression struggles online, a study has shown.

Two London hospitals had up to 15 per cent more patients referred for a crisis episode or emergency on days when depression was being widely discussed on social media.

While those experiencing a crisis may not have referred themselves due to seeing tweets, there is a correlation between the high volume of tweets about mental health and referrals, likely due to news events such as a celebrity talking about their depression battles.

The research was conducted by academics at King’s College London, who reported their findings in the journal Scientific Reports. The team collected data on the number of tweets containing keywords related to depression and schizophrenia over a four-year period.

During the same period, they took recorded referrals for “crisis episodes”– when someone needs urgent care – to South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLAM) and Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust (C&I). Between January 2010 and December 2014, 48,691 and 32,689 crisis episodes were recorded by SLAM and C&I, respectively. The sizes of effects were large enough to have potential local and national relevance.

Vicki Nash, head of policy and campaigns at mental health charity Mind, told Mailonline: “We know that highprofile coverage of mental health problems, and when celebrities speak out about their own experiences on both traditional and social media, help people feel less alone and can encourage people to seek the support they need.”