Having any type of information just a click away is a great relief. It is true that we have to be careful with the Internet, but it also makes us feel better by helping us understand many things. If our hair falls out, we just have to do a search related to it to understand the causes; If we want to get over a breakup, by entering “how to get over a breakup” in the search engine we clarify at least a series of steps to follow… and this is what happens with absolutely any concerns we have.
Digital analysis has established itself as a key tool, not only to identify the most popular products or services, but also to reveal society’s deepest doubts and fears. In the second edition of the Annual Index of Global Problems, Semrush, a SaaS platform for online visibility, highlights that mental health continues to occupy the first places among social concerns, positioning itself as the third most searched topic in Spain. Faced with this reality, the company has delved deeper with a new study into how these psychological concerns They manifest themselves in the millions of searches related to phobias and mental disorders each year.
“Having such detailed and specific data on searches related to mental health and phobias offers an invaluable opportunity to better understand the concerns affecting the population. These data not only allow global and local trends to be identified, but also offer health institutions, professionals and companies a solid basis to develop more effective intervention strategies,” says Fernando Angulo, Senior Marketer Research at Semrush.
Trypophobia, the queen of phobias
Topping the list of the most searched phobias globally is trypophobiawith more than 2 million monthly searches. This phenomenon, often unknown to many until they experience it, is an irrational fear of patterns of holes or bumps.
The fear of holes arises through images published on the Internet and began to be talked about in 2013. The person with a fear of holes says that they feel overwhelmed by an image in which numerous dots appear in the foreground, they feel nauseous and anxiety and, in some cases, fear of losing control. Its symptoms include headache, itching or
Agoraphobia, phobia number two
It is followed by agoraphobia, which with more than 625,692 searches each month stands out as one of the most common phobias, affecting those who fear open spaces or crowds. What is it about? Agoraphobia describes the fear of being trapped in a place or situation from which there is no escape. As a result, the phobic individual may begin to avoid such situations and even fear leaving the house.
In this sense, there is fear of standing in line; being in enclosed spaces, such as movie theaters, elevators, or small stores; also in open spaces, such as parking lots, bridges or trains or using public transportation, such as buses, planes or trains.
who have agoraphobia They have fear or anxiety and almost always derive from exposure to the situation. Furthermore, they are disproportionate to the real danger of the situation and often require a person to accompany them. Although it can occur during childhood, it usually begins in late adolescence and early adulthood, usually before the age of 35, and is slightly more prevalent among women than among men.
Other relevant phobias
This is the list of the 10 most searched phobias globally:
– Trypophobia: 2,047,692 monthly searches.
– Agoraphobia: 625,692 monthly searches.
– Claustrophobia: 381,154 monthly searches.
– Acrophobia: 191,692 monthly searches.
– Hydrophobia: 142,385 monthly searches.
– Arachnophobia: 137,462 monthly searches.
– Thanatophobia (fear of death): 91,231 monthly searches.
– Nyctophobia (fear of the dark): 65,115 monthly searches.
– Mysophobia (fear of germs): 57,308 monthly searches.
– Glossophobia (fear of speaking in public): 36,462 monthly searches.
Search behavior in Spain reflects similar concerns, although with some surprises. Trypophobia also leads with an average of more than 64,385 monthly searches, followed by agoraphobiawhich stands at 33,154 searches. However, what stands out in the case of Spain is the unexpected fear of clowns, known as coulrophobia (fear of clowns), in fifth place with more than three thousand searches each month. Despite its seemingly childish nature, this fear continues to affect people of all ages.
Mental illnesses
But it’s not just phobias that occupy a place in our minds. According to the Semrush study, searches related to mental disorders also reveal surprising data. Globally, anxiety tops the list of searches related to mental disorders, with more than 1.2 million monthly queries. These disorders have become the silent companions of modern life, arising from constant pressure, fast pace and increasing expectations. This is also reflected in the increase in searches on topics such as depression, which has more than 1 million searches, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which has similar figures. Another point of interest is seasonal depression, which shows a pattern of significant increase in the fall and winter months, tripling its search volume compared to other times of the year.
These are the eight most common mental illnesses globally according to the average volume of internet queries:
– Anxiety: 1,246,154 monthly searches.
– Depression: 1,173,846 monthly searches.
– Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD): 1,000,000 monthly searches.
– Bipolar disorder: 945,538 monthly searches.
– Eating disorder: 125,769 monthly searches.
– Sleep disorder: 115,769 monthly searches.
– Panic disorder: 88,423 monthly searches.
– Seasonal depression: 70,146 monthly searches.
In Spain, anxiety has experienced a notable increase in searches, growing by 22.4% in the last year. In some months, peaks of up to 90,500 searches have been recorded. Likewise, it occupies first place, followed by depression and OCD, both with an average of internet queries exceeding 20 thousand searches.
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