How Fitbit, Google Nest and Pixel Watch can help you get better sleep, manage stress and work out smarter in 2023.
When you or someone you care for is going through a mental health situation, it can feel isolating, overwhelming and distressing. To get through those moments, access to the right resources can make all the difference.
Anxiety and depression increased by 25% across the globe during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, and hospitals and doctor groups recently called mental health a national emergency for adolescents. With these issues on the rise, searches for "mental health therapist" and "mental health help" reached record highs this year in the U.S.
Against the backdrop of the global pandemic, geopolitical crises and economic concerns also hit home for many Americans. To help support mental health challenges stemming from these issues, our goal is to surface authoritative information you can trust, create access to helpful resources you need in the moment and show empathy for everyone facing mental health issues. So in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month in the U.S., here are tools built to support you when you need it most.
We know that many people turn to Search to get actionable information during a personal crisis, whether it’s related to suicide, sexual assault, substance abuse or domestic violence. In the coming weeks, we’ll update Search to use our AI model MUM to automatically and more accurately detect personal crisis searches in order to show you the most relevant information when you need it.
We’ve also made it easier to access clinically-validated mental health self-assessments from Search for conditions such as depression, anxiety, postpartum depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). These self-assessments, frequently used by medical professionals, are meant to help people understand how their self-reported symptoms might map to known mental health conditions.
On YouTube, updates to our crisis response panels better connect you with timely and important resources. For years, YouTube has shown crisis resource panels on certain search queries to connect people with local organizations that can help them through a moment of critical need. Now, crisis resource panels appear on the Watch Page and in search results. The number of topics that display crisis resources in YouTube search results has also expanded to include issues like depression, sexual assault and substance abuse.
In the past month, searches for "local drug rehab centers near me" reached an all-time high in the U.S. As part of our ongoing commitment to help people find useful and accurate information related to addiction and recovery and to support the newly instituted Fentanyl Awareness Day, our Recover Together resource has a new section. Here you can find more information about the prevalence of fentanyl in illegally-made pills and the importance of naloxone, a legal drug that can reverse overdose from opioids like fentanyl, heroin, morphine and oxycodone.
Sharing stories about mental health can normalize the issue and reduce stigmas that deter people from getting help. Working with the National Alliance on Mental Illness, YouTube created a guide for creators with tips on how to speak from personal experience, work with experts and use inclusive language.
To listen to supportive community stories and helpful information on mental health, you can watch videos in this playlist on YouTube. For younger audiences, the YouTube Kids app features mental health content on expressing emotions and building coping skills through music, art and more. For more on what YouTube is doing when it comes to mental health, check out this blog.
In moments when you need a hand managing your stress levels, Fitbit can help. SelectFitbit devices include a Relax app for deep breathing or an EDA (electrodermal activity) sensor so you can better understand how your body responds to stress — which is especially important as we all cope with the stress of the pandemic. From there, you can take steps to adjust your activity levels, improve your sleep or practice mindfulness to help manage the impact on your wellbeing.
Over the past year in the U.S., searches for “5 minute meditation for anxiety” more than doubled. Using Google Assistant, you can find and play meditations from Calm on your Google Nest display to help relax during the day or fall asleep at night. Just say, "Hey Google, show me meditations from Calm" or "Hey Google, start a meditation."
Beyond providing resources to people using our products, we’re also helping organizations and researchers that contribute to mental health.
Since 2019, we've provided $2.7 million and nearly 30 Google.org Fellows to help The Trevor Project use AI to support LGBTQ+ youth in crisis. Most recently, Trevor and a team of Fellows built the AI-powered Crisis Contact Simulator (CCS) that lets volunteer trainees practice realistic conversations with digital youth personas. The Trevor Project recently introduced a new persona to expand their counselor training.
It is always okay to ask for help — whether that’s going to Google or YouTube with questions you’re not comfortable asking anyone else or opening up to your friends and family or connecting with experts who can help you through the difficult moments. We need to support each other however we can.
Editor’s note:
Illegally made fentanyl — a dangerous synthetic opioid — is driving the recent increase in all U.S. overdose deaths, with young people being the most vulnerable.Overdose deaths among teenagers linked to synthetic opioids like fentanyl have tripled in recent years, as illegal fake pills containing the deadly drug are sold on the street and online. Sadly, many young people who lose their lives to overdose are unaware of the dangers of fake prescription pills that contain fentanyl.
Google continues to promote addiction awareness and highlight recovery support services for those affected. For example, for the past four years Google has worked with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to promote their twice-yearly National Prescription Drug Takeback Day; this includes mapping their collection site locations onthe Recover Together website, a site that also shows a Google Maps locator tool with pharmacies where you can get naloxone, a medication designed to rapidly reverse opioid overdose. Google shows the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) hotline to people looking for help addressing substance use and surfaces thePartnership to End Addiction helpline to connect caregivers of those struggling with substance use with support resources.
In observance of National Fentanyl Awareness Day on May 10, 2022, we asked two Google Health experts — Dr. Megan Jones Bell, Clinical Director of Consumer and Mental Health at Google, and Dr. Garth Graham, Director and Global Head of YouTube Health — to share their thoughts on addressing the deadly epidemic of fentanyl overdoses.
Throughout our careers, we’ve seen the impact that opioids and related substances can have on individuals, families and communities. Over the last two years, these public health issues have been eclipsed by the COVID-19 crisis. As we find ourselves in a new stage of the pandemic, we are facing an equally terrifying national health crisis: fentanyl use.
What is fentanyl and why is it so dangerous?
Fentanyl is a potent, lab-made opioid and a cheap and addictive filler that gets added to illegal, counterfeit versions of well-known prescription opioid and anti-anxiety drugs (as explained by the DEA’s One Pill Can Kill website), as well as other illegal drugs like heroin and cocaine. The DEA warns that fentanyl substantially increases the chances of a fatal interaction when added to any of these drugs. The rise of fentanyl in the U.S. has contributed to a recent 33% increase in accidental deaths in people 50 and younger.
The DEA reports that one in four counterfeit pills made with fentanyl contains a lethal dose. Among the scariest aspects of fentanyl are how easy it is to acquire and that a single pill is often all it takes to end a life. And it can happen to anyone. Two Google parents who lost their sons this way shared their tragic experiences in a blog post last year about the dangers of accidental fentanyl overdose.
Teens are particularly vulnerable to misleading and false information about the substances that they acquire. Many young people whose lives are lost to fentanyl overdose are not regular drug users. Having honest conversations can save lives: If you’re a parent, guardian or other adult responsible for a young person, please talk to them about the dangers of fentanyl and counterfeit pills. These resources can help to guide your conversations about fentanyl.
Understanding the impact of fentanyl
In the U.S. in 2019, overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids like fentanyl were nearly 12 times higher than six years prior. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this disturbing trend became markedly worse. Between January 2020 and January 2021, overdose deaths involving synthetic opioids (primarily fentanyl) rose over 50 percent, and these drugs are likely the main driver of the increase in total drug overdose deaths. In fact, 207 people die every single day from an opioid-related overdose with fentanyl being a factor in more than half of overdose deaths.
Despite these staggering statistics, awareness of fentanyl-laced, counterfeit pills and other substances is remarkably low. As clinicians and parents, we must ensure that everyone – especially teens, young adults and their parents and guardians – understand the risks and prevalence of fentanyl and how to prevent, recognize and reverse overdoses.
Resources for fentanyl education and awareness
For National Fentanyl Awareness Day, Google and YouTube are working together to share resources on Google’s Recover Together site to take a first step toward improving fentanyl education and awareness. We are committed to raising awareness of substance use disorders and the dangers associated with fentanyl and other opioids.
In addition to highlighting resources on fentanyl education, we are also increasing awareness of a new crisis affecting many U.S. communities: fentanyl mass-overdose events. The DEA defines these horrifying overdose clusters as “three or more overdoses occurring close in time and at the same location.”
Fentanyl has permanently altered the course of so many people’s lives, leaving devastated families and communities in its wake. Please join us in taking action to end our nation’s opioid epidemic and to protect our families, friends and communities from the scourge of fentanyl.
Here’s what you can do:
Together, we can promote greater awareness of the dangers of fentanyl and help turn the tide on a deadly epidemic that has ended far too many lives far too soon.
Megan Jones Bell, PsyD. Clinical Director of Consumer and Mental Health at Google, is a clinical psychologist and digital health leader working to make healthcare more effective, affordable and accessible globally. She has done extensive research on prevention and treatment of mental health disorders and works to ensure that Google users have access to accurate and useful information about substance use disorders and the opioid epidemic.
Garth Graham, MD, MPH, FACC. Director and Global Head of YouTube Health is a cardiologist, academic and health professional who has served as U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for Health in two administrations. He works to bring authoritative health information to YouTube users around the globe when they search for information and resources on health conditions, including how to cope with substance addiction conditions. Dr. Graham also sits on the advisory board forNational Fentanyl Awareness Day.