# Quantifying the Effects of COVID-19 on Mental Health Support Forums

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2009.04008 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2009.04008/

## Key facts

- Cited by 7 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 8 Sep 2020.

## Built on by (most cited first, 7 of 7)

- [How Good Is NLP? A Sober Look at NLP Tasks through the Lens of Social Impact](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2106.02359/) (2021)
- [Has It All Been Solved? Open NLP Research Questions Not Solved by Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.12544/) (2023)
- [On the State of NLP Approaches to Modeling Depression in Social Media: A Post-COVID-19 Outlook](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.08793/) (2024)
- [A repeated-measures study on emotional responses after a year in the pandemic](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2107.03466/) (2021)
- [The Problem of Semantic Shift in Longitudinal Monitoring of Social Media: A Case Study on Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2206.11160/) (2022)
- [Exploring COVID-19 Related Stressors Using Topic Modeling](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2202.00476/) (2022)
- [Discovering changes in birthing narratives during COVID-19](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.11742/) (2022)

## Abstract (arXiv)

The COVID-19 pandemic, like many of the disease outbreaks that have preceded it, is likely to have a profound effect on mental health. Understanding its impact can inform strategies for mitigating negative consequences. In this work, we seek to better understand the effects of COVID-19 on mental health by examining discussions within mental health support communities on Reddit. First, we quantify the rate at which COVID-19 is discussed in each community, or subreddit, in order to understand levels of preoccupation with the pandemic. Next, we examine the volume of activity in order to determine whether the quantity of people seeking online mental health support has risen. Finally, we analyze how COVID-19 has influenced language use and topics of discussion within each subreddit.