Google searches for mental health terms related to depression, major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder and anxiety disorder peak in the late winter and dip during the summer, according to a recent study by Google News Lab and Gabriel Gianordoli. This is in line with a Google study in 2013, which also found that mental illness searches followed seasonal trends.
Yes, but: The search trends seem to line up with seasonal depression, but Allen Frances, a psychiatrist and professor emeritus at Duke University, told Axios that the study results "don't by themselves explain the phenomenon they're describing." He points out there could be several external factors that would contribute to the peaks and valleys of mental health related Google searches, including drug advertisements.