Understanding Public Perceptions and Discussions on Opioids Through Twitter: Cross-Sectional Infodemiology Study

Analyzing public discourse of dementia from Spanish and English tweets: a comparative analysis with other neurological disorders

Introduction

Dementia comprise a broad spectrum of cognitive declines affecting 47 million people worldwide, with numbers projected to reach 131 million by 2050. Predominantly associated with older adults, dementia can also impact younger individuals, having a significant impact on daily functioning of the affected patients, relatives, caregivers and the socioeconomic system. Recent research underscores the utility of social media, particularly X (previously designed as Twitter), in understanding public perceptions and sentiments related to neurological disorders. Despite some initial studies have explored social perceptions of dementia in X, broader and deeper analysis of this condition is still warranted.

Materials and methods

In this retrospective study, we collected and examined all tweets posted in English or Spanish from 2007 to 2023 that mentioned dementia and compare the information with other highly representative neurological disorders like migraines, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, or Parkinson's disease. We developed a codebook to analyze tweets, classifying them by themes such as trivialization, treatment perceptions, and etiopathogenesis. Manually categorized tweets trained machine learning models, BERTWEET for English and BETO for Spanish, which then classified larger datasets with high accuracy. Statistical analysis, including ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, and chi-square tests, was conducted to explore linguistic and cultural differences in perceptions of neurological disorders, with results visualized.

Results

Our study reveals that dementia is by far the most frequently discussed neurological disorder on X. Likewise, this condition appears to be the most trivialized neurological disorder in Spanish tweets and the second most trivialized in English tweets, with notable differences in geolocation data. Additionally, we found significant differences in perceptions of dementia treatment and associated sentiments between Spanish and English tweets. Furthermore, our study identified varying perceptions of medical content (etiology) and non-medical content (positive/negative experiences and aid requests) related to dementia and other neurological disorders, unveiling a complex landscape of these topics on X.

Conclusions

This study explores the importance of X as a social platform for addressing various critical issues related to dementia, comparing it with other neurological disorders in English and Spanish tweets. Future research could further investigate the valuable role of social media in understanding public perceptions and needs regarding dementia and neurological disorders among X users.

Assessment of beliefs and attitudes towards benzodiazepines using machine learning based on social media posts: an observational study

BACKGROUND

Benzodiazepines are frequently prescribed drugs; however, their prolonged use can lead to tolerance, dependence, and other adverse effects. Despite these risks, long-term use remains common, presenting a public health concern. This study aims to explore the beliefs and opinions held by the public regarding benzodiazepines, as understanding these perspectives may provide insights into their usage patterns.

METHODS

We collected public tweets published in English between January 1, 2019, and October 31, 2020, that mentioned benzodiazepines. The content of each tweet and the characteristics of the users were analyzed using a mixed-method approach, including manual analysis and semi-supervised machine learning.

RESULTS

Over half of the Twitter users highlighted the efficacy of benzodiazepines, with minimal discussion of their side effects. The most active participants in these conversations were patients and their families, with health professionals and institutions being notably absent. Additionally, the drugs most frequently mentioned corresponded with those most commonly prescribed by healthcare professionals.

CONCLUSIONS

Social media platforms offer valuable insights into users' experiences and opinions regarding medications. Notably, the sentiment towards benzodiazepines is predominantly positive, with users viewing them as effective while rarely mentioning side effects. This analysis underscores the need to educate physicians, patients, and their families about the potential risks associated with benzodiazepine use and to promote clinical guidelines that support the proper management of these medications.

CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER

Not applicable.

Areas of interest and sentiment analysis towards second generation antipsychotics, lithium and mood stabilizing anticonvulsants: Unsupervised analysis using Twitter

BACKGROUND

Severe mental disorders like Schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders (SRD) or Bipolar Disorder (BD) require pharmacological treatment for relapse prevention and quality of life improvement. Yet, treatment adherence is a challenge, partly due to patients' attitudes and beliefs towards their medication. Social media listening offers insights into patient experiences and preferences, particularly in severe mental disorders.

METHODS

All tweets posted between 2008 and 2022 mentioning the names of the main drugs used in SRD and BD were analyzed using advanced artificial intelligence techniques such as machine learning, and deep learning, along with natural language processing.

RESULTS

In this 15-year study analyzing 893,289 tweets, second generation antipsychotics received more mentions in English tweets, whereas mood stabilizers received more tweets in Spanish. English tweets about economic and legal aspects displayed negative emotions, while Spanish tweets seeking advice showed surprise. Moreover, a recurring theme in Spanish tweets was the shortage of medications, evoking feelings of anger among users.

LIMITATIONS

This study's analysis of Twitter data, while insightful, may not fully capture the nuances of discussions due to the platform's brevity. Additionally, the wide therapeutic use of the studied drugs, complicates the isolation of disorder-specific discourse. Only English and Spanish tweets were examined, limiting the cultural breadth of the findings.

CONCLUSION

This study emphasizes the importance of social media research in understanding user perceptions of SRD and BD treatments. The results provide valuable insights for clinicians when considering how patients and the general public view and communicate about these treatments in the digital environment.

Insights from the Twittersphere: a cross-sectional study of public perceptions, usage patterns, and geographical differences of tweets discussing cocaine

Introduction

Cocaine abuse represents a major public health concern. The social perception of cocaine has been changing over the decades, a phenomenon closely tied to its patterns of use and abuse. Twitter is a valuable tool to understand the status of drug use and abuse globally. However, no specific studies discussing cocaine have been conducted on this platform.

Methods

111,508 English and Spanish tweets containing "cocaine" from 2018 to 2022 were analyzed. 550 were manually studied, and the largest subset underwent automated classification. Then, tweets related to cocaine were analyzed to examine their content, types of Twitter users, usage patterns, health effects, and personal experiences. Geolocation data was also considered to understand regional differences.

Results

A total of 71,844 classifiable tweets were obtained. Among these, 15.95% of users discussed the harm of cocaine consumption to health. Media outlets had the highest number of tweets (35.11%) and the most frequent theme was social/political denunciation (67.88%). Regarding the experience related to consumption, there are more tweets with a negative sentiment. The 9.03% of tweets explicitly mention frequent use of the drug. The continent with the highest number of tweets was America (55.44% of the total).

Discussion

The findings underscore the significance of cocaine as a current social and political issue, with a predominant focus on political and social denunciation in the majority of tweets. Notably, the study reveals a concentration of tweets from the United States and South American countries, reflecting the high prevalence of cocaine-related disorders and overdose cases in these regions. Alarmingly, the study highlights the trivialization of cocaine consumption on Twitter, accompanied by a misleading promotion of its health benefits, emphasizing the urgent need for targeted interventions and antidrug content on social media platforms. Finally, the unexpected advocacy for cocaine by healthcare professionals raises concerns about potential drug abuse within this demographic, warranting further investigation.