Detecting and Inoculating against PTSD in Online Forums and Platforms

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has significantly impacted the mental health of individuals on a global scale. The linguistic patterns and emotional expressions of PTSD are evident via online behaviors. In this study, we look at both the English and Arabic languages to detect PTSD, and to also devise an intervention for those that are experiencing this form of long-term trauma. This research aims to detect PTSD patterns online, with the ultimate purpose of inoculating against PTSD in online forums and platforms. Through the interdisciplinary combination of social media analytics and tech-assisted behavior change, intervention tools can be applied online to detect and inoculate against PTSD. Emojis are a form of expression that vary according to language, and more specifically, dialect. This research aims to create posttraumatic stress disorder specific emoticons, and eventually globally release a curated glossary.