Anxiety, a disorder that affects about 19 million Brazilians, according to the WHO (World Health Organization), was the most searched topic on the Psicologia Viva mental health platform.
According to the “Annual Report on Mental Health of Brazilians”, a report developed with data extracted from the online therapy website in partnership with the pharmaceutical company Eurofarma, the term represented 20.1% of searches.
The document was prepared based on information from June 2020 to June 2021, when more than 84,000 different patient records were evaluated, associated with approximately 925,000 psychological teleconsultation appointments.
In addition to anxiety, which leads the search for patients, depression (6.5%), personal development (4.93%), clinical psychology (3.27%) and mental health (2.59%) enter the ranking of the five most searched topics among all age groups.
Also according to the report, women scheduled more appointments on the platform during the period analyzed. Among those who chose to inform their gender (62.5%), 73.8% of the patients were female and 26.2% were male.
Young adults are the ones who most seek psychological assistance online. Those aged between 21 and 40 represent about 40% of teleconsultation appointments in the period, among those who reported their age. Regarding the most searched topics on the platform by this age group, anxiety ranks first, with 21.3% of searches. Both men and women aged between 15 and 30 have personal development as the second main search topic, with 6.2% of searches. From 31 to 45 years old, the second place is occupied by the theme depression (6.0%).
“A possible explanation for personal development being the focus of young people’s searches is perhaps entering the job market and the psychological issues that this involves. a relationship with burnout syndrome (related to the stress generated by excessive work), financial or relationship problems”, explains Luciene Bandeira, psychologist and co-founder of Psicologia Viva.
Parents of children and adolescents are also concerned about their children’s mental health, seeking advice for this public. Boys from 0 to 16 years old scheduled more psychological consultations, equivalent to 5.5% of the total appointments by men in the period, compared to girls in the same age group (2.7% of appointments by men feminine).
“The specialized literature suggests some possible explanations for the case. The prevalence of ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) in boys is 14%, for example, against only 6.3% in girls. Autism is also more prevalent in boys, about 4.3 times more”, says the psychologist.
People over 80, who are generally unfamiliar with new technologies, represent 0.35% of the total, approximately 2,000 online psychological appointments.
Among the topics most sought after by men and women over 60 is “psychological monitoring of the elderly” (22% women and 18% men), followed by anxiety and depression. “It is interesting to note that this audience is looking for help through technology, as it is a stage of life in which many have already lost important family members, feel the impacts of age, or may feel alone”, says Luciene.
For Fabiano Carrijo, CEO Brazil of Psicologia Viva, the research helps to understand the main challenges of each stage of life, from childhood to old age, and becomes a starting point for the platform’s psychologists to provide guidance with more quality and guidance to their patients.
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