ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: In light of the current national mental health crisis, we use Google Trends, Twitter and data obtained from the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline to evaluate the effect of '1-800-273-8255' on public awareness for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We extracted data from Google Trends and Twitter for terms related to suicide following the release of Logic's song, '1-800-273-8255'. We then used a forecasting autoregressive integrated moving algorithm model to determine the greater than expected search interest. RESULTS: Google searches for 'Suicide Hotline' increased 49% more than expected the day after Logic's song was released and sustained increase of queries resulted in an average relative search volume of 59.5%-9.1% higher than the mean forecasted value of 50.4% for the 28 days following the release. Tweets that engaged with the account '@800 273talk' on Twitter increased by 10 450% more than expected the day after the song was released and increased by a mean of 1497% greater than expected the week after the songs released. CONCLUSION: Findings from our study suggest that the entertainment industry can play an important role in increasing awareness of hotline numbers. Logic's song provides an example of a positive influence on public health and provides support for further development and standards for proper awareness of suicide in the public view.
