What Mental Health Concerns Does Your State Google Most?

With all the fear and anxiety surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, mental health is a priority for many US citizens as they shelter in place. To see what health concerns Americans are most concerned about, TermLife2Go looked at Google trends and determined the most-googled mental health concerns in each state.

If you or someone you know is experiencing difficulties with any of these concerns, it’s a good idea to contact a mental health professional for help. 

A few states had more mental health concerns than others, which is why you might see multiple concerns listed for your state.

For example, Connecticut googled social-media addiction and social anxiety more than any other state. And Maine had a six-way tie for its most-googled term with dementia, binge eating, teeth grinding, anorexia, anxiety disorder, and grief.

Wyoming googled loss of smell more than any other state in the US, which happens to be a symptom of COVID-19. While that may not seem directly related to mental health, researchers found problems linked with loss of smell significantly lead to anger, depression, anxiety, frustration, and a decrease in confidence.

If you have trouble focusing while you’re working from home, you’re not alone. Seven different states had concerns relating to ADD or ADHD, restlessness, and hyperactivity. 

States googling terms related to focus:

• ADD: District of Columbia
• ADHD: Delaware, Rhode Island, Indiana, and Oregon
• Restlessness: West Virginia and Arkansas
• Hyperactivity: West Virginia

Losing sleep isn’t just a saying these days. Four states searched for insomnia or sleep deprivation the most out of all mental health concerns. 

States googling terms related to sleep: 

• Insomnia: Rhode Island, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania
• Sleep deprivation: Idaho

People experiencing addiction face challenges that include more than typically considered substances. 

Internet addiction was the most common mental health concern googled last year, and this year, Washington state googled the term the most out of any state.

States googling terms related to drug use and other addictions:

• Alcoholism: Montana and Nebraska
• Caffeine addiction: Oklahoma
• Internet addiction: Maryland, New Jersey, and Washington
• Social media addiction: Connecticut

Modern life was already stressful before COVID-19’s emergence, but now people have all the more reason to take their overall health seriously. 

Your physical and mental health are tied together, so it’s important to learn as much as you can and seek professional medical advice for any issues you’re experiencing.

If you’re interested in learning more about mental health or COVID-19, we’ve compiled a list of resources to help:

• NAMI.org, “Mental Health Conditions”
• talkspace.com, “The Top Five Most Common Mental Illnesses”
• Medicalnewstoday.com, “What are the true costs of smell loss?”
• CDC, “Mental Health and Coping During COVID-19”
• healthline.com, “Being Mindful of Your Mental Health During the COVID-19 Outbreak”

We used mental health sites like NAMI, TalkSpace, and MentalHealth.gov to compile a list of the most common mental health conditions, along with their corresponding symptoms and stressors. We ran each of the terms through Google Trends to identify which mental health concerns were searched most frequently in each state over the past year.