Presence of Emotions in Network Discourse on Mental Health: Thematic Analysis

Abstract

Mental health and emotions are two fundamental aspects of our overall well-being. Good mental health can help us manage and regulate our emotions in a healthy way. Similarly, emotions can affect our mental health if we are not able to recognize, express, and manage our emotions in a healthy way. The present research aims to conduct a thematic analysis on the presence of emotions in X (formerly known as Twitter) discourse on mental health. A total of 455 tweets dealing with mental health have been collected in this study. The results show that the presence of emotions in mental health discourse is quite limited compared to the non-use of emotions. Regarding those who do use emotions, love and anxiety stand out. When users do not address emotions, they do argue certain variables such as stress, depression, suicide, or job insecurity. It is argued that emotions do not receive the attention and importance they deserve in the field of mental health. If emotions are not properly recognized, understood, or managed, there may be several risks for society in general. Therefore, the need to promote emotional education with the intention of increasing people’s well-being and mental health is raised.

Keywords

• emotions
• mental health
• risk perception
• social networks
• wellbeing
• thematic analysis