USE OF TWITTER APPLICATION AS AN EMERGING TOOL FOR CREATING AWARENESS AND ADVOCACY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH DISEASES: A STUDY ON MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES IN INDIA

Twitter is a free social networking site where registered individuals or organizations (i.e., users) can share 280-characters or letters as messages called Tweets. Similarly "Retweets" are the process/options where anyone can send the existing tweet to the third person or to a number of persons simultaneously and instantly. "Retweet with Comment" also exists where any person can give their comments and simultaneously share with anyone or with a number of persons simultaneously. #signs are used to mention the important messages which one wants to draw the attention of other Suicide and other Mental Health Issues are neglected preventable which needs to be addressed. According to NCRB 2015, India 133,623 people had committed suicide with the Incidence of 10.6/100,000 while the burden of Suicide in the state of Odisha were 4,087 with an incidence rate of 9.7/100,000. Advocacy is an activity by an individual or group which aims to influence decisions within the political, economy, social systems, and institutions. Objective: Use of Twitter as a public health tool to raise the mental health issues among policy makers, administrators of both state and central government level and also to create awareness among community through media. Methodology: After creating Twitter accounts we have used a systematic approach to address the issues. Various stakeholders (health ministers, secretaries, Govt. officials of the health department, Psychiatrists, Psychologists, NGOs, Public Health Specialists, Electronic Media, Printed Media, etc.) were identified and discussed suicide and other mental health issues in the form of tweets, retweets, replies. The issues related to Suicide and other Mental Health was tweeted, retweeted to policy makers. The process was repeated for one month since 30th July 2018. Observations: Out of 98 tweets during one month of duration the majority of them were of the first week (38.7%) followed by the second week (33.6%). Similarly, retweets were more in the first week 46.8% followed by 73 (32.5%). Replies were more in the 2nd week. Out of a total of 352 likes on our tweets, retweets and most of the replies observed during the 2nd week. 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 million. b) Telemedicine project in AIIMS Bhubaneswar which will be connected to NIMHANS Bangalore-to improve the capacity building. The helpline number was started from Department of Psychiatry SCB Medical College, Cuttack, along with other 20 district Headquarters of Health and welfare department, Odisha. Odisha Govt. has started giving frequent advertisements in various printed Media to create awareness. Several new posts for clinical Psychologists were advertised by the National Health Mission Odisha, for better Management of #MHI. With the interventions at the 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. Conclusion: Twitter can be used as an important cost-effective tool to address the public health issues like suicide and other mental health illness, to raise the issues with policy makers to bring a change in policy.