ABSTRACT
Covid-19 was declared a global epidemic in March 2020 and continues to have dramatic consequences for the mental health of the general population and those suffering from mental illnesses. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, requests for hospitalisation and treatment for anorexia have increased dramatically. The present study examined the subjective experience of anorectics during Covid-19, by collecting Internet 'posts' written by them during the epidemic. The posts were analysed using a qualitative method combining thematic and formal analysis. Three themes emerged from the analysis: (1) Between restriction and punishment: It was found that the reality of Covid-19 enabled a smoother dialog between the anorectic ascetic inner reality and the outer reality. (2) Between the visible and the invisible: It was found that the social reality created by the epidemic affected anorectics in two opposite ways, regarding their ability to conceal their body and their eating habits. For anorectics living with family members, Covid-19 reality made hiding anorectic habits difficult. Conversely, anorectics living alone were more likely to hide anorectic symptoms and would adhere to anorectic practices. (3) Between isolation and loneliness: it was found that quarantines and social distancing provided a convenient platform to strengthen isolation and hiding mechanisms, which assisted in executing anorectic symptoms. The findings are discussed from a psychodynamic perspective, using the ideas of Freud, Klein, Winnicott, and other thinkers. The ways in which textual use of linguistic and formal elements correspond with the ideas of these thinkers are discussed.
ABSTRACT
Background: Inflammatory bowel diseases are varied in the way they present, progress and respond to treatment. IBD patients frequently complain about the lack of proper knowledge and support systems, this gap leads to an extensive online search for information. The aim of our study was to characterize the trends in IBD-related Google searches by exploring the Google Trends query tool Methods: We retrieved worldwide Google Trends data related to Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis over the past, 10 years (Jan, 2011 - Oct, 2021). The search terms selection was based on preferences and knowledge gaps identified by an online survey by the members of the of the israeli Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis patients association, coupled with data from available literature and Google autocompletion data. We also compared the search volume of the two diseases using the “Topic” feature in google trends, which allows us to utilize google's search terms aggregation by a specific topic. Google trends provide RSV (Relative Search Volume) over time, and over different regions. The results are normalized on a scale of, 0-100 (100 signifying the most highly-search item).We also compared the RSV for searches related to UC and CD. Results: Out of the, 20 domains researched over, 370 months, the, 10 most searched domains in Crohn's disease related searches was 'diet'(41.30%), 'cancer'(14.22%), 'weight'(7.52%), 'pregnancy'( 4.44%), 'disability'(4.05%), 'COVID'(3.45%), 'alcohol' (3.22%), 'vaccine' (3.17%), 'stress' (2.54%) and 'smoking' (2.47%). The, 10 most searched domain in ulcerative colitis related searches was 'diet' (41.72%), 'cancer' (18.69%), 'weight' (5.47%), 'pregnancy'(4.77%), 'smoking'(3.76%), 'alcohol'(3.63%), 'probiotics(3.27%), 'disability'( 2.77%), 'stress'(2.62%) and 'covid'(2.12%). When focusing at the time period between March, 2020 and October, 2021, the most searched domain in crohn's disease was 'COVID'(22.67%) followed by 'diet'(21.81%), 'cancer'(12.52%), 'vaccine'(10.70%), 'weight'(7.07%), 'disability' (4.34%), 'alcohol' (2.82%), 'pregnancy' (2.67%), 'stress' (2.22%) and 'biologics' (2.17%). Over the same time span, the most searched domain in ulcerative colitis was 'diet' (29.59%) followed by 'cancer' (18.32%), 'COVID' (11.84%), 'weight' (6.32%), 'vaccine' (5.75%), 'alcohol' (4.07%), 'pregnancy' (3.66%), 'disability' (3.06%), 'smoking' (2.61%) and 'probiotics' (2.46%). Conclusion: Patients have numerous interests related to their IBD disease. The most searched IBD-related item is diet, with COVID-19 leading since the break of the pandemic. Our results are a surrogate representation of the patient's knowledge gaps and needs, and we suggest that IBD healthcare providers should focus their guidance on the issues identified by the patients as such.