Abstract

Use of Twitter as an Emerging Tool for Advocacy of Public Health Issues: A study on Mental Health Issues in Odisha, India.

Suicide and other Mental Health Issues are a neglected preventable disease which needs to be addressed. According to NCRB 2015 , India 133,623 people committed suicide having  Incidence of 10.6/100,000  and in  Odisha state 4,087 people committed suicide with incidence rate of 9.7/ 100,000. Twitter is a free social channel where registered individuals or organizations (I e, users) can share 280-character messages called tweets. Advocacy is an activity by an individual or group which aims to influence decisions within political, economy, social systems and institutions. Objective: Use of twitter as a tool to raise the mental health issues among policy makers, administrators of both state and central government level. Methodology: After creating twitter accounts we have used system approach to address the issues. Various stake holders ( health ministers, secretaries, Govt. officials of health department, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, NGOs, Public Health Specialists, Electronic Media Printed Media etc.) were identified and discussed about suicide and other mental health issues in the form of tweets, retweets, replies. The issues related to Suicide And Mental Health were tweeted, Retweeted  to policy makers. The process was repeated  for one month since 30^th July 2018. Out of 98 tweets during one month of duration  majority of them  on first two weeks 38.7% and 33.6%  .Similarly retweets were more in the first week 46.8% followed by 73(32.5%). Replies were more in the 2^nd week. Out of total 352 likes on our tweets, retweets and replies majority in 2^nd week. Observations: State level-Signing of Memorandum of Understanding between NIMHANS, Bangalore , AIIMS New Delhi and AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Odisha through Central and State Governments. a) A NIMHANS like institute will be set up near Bhubaneswar having a budget of Rs 3000 millions. b) Telemedicine project in AIIMS Bhubaneswar which will be connected to NIMHANS Bangalore- to improve capacity building.2. Helpline number was started from Department of Psychiatry SCB Medical College, Cuttack, Health and welfare department, Odisha has started giving frequent advertisements in various printed Medias to create awareness.  With the interventions at center level, IRDA ordered insurance firms/companies to include “mental illness†in their medical insurance policies adhering to provision of mental health care act 2017.