Robust language-based mental health assessments in time and space through social media.

In the most comprehensive population surveys, mental health is only broadly captured through questionnaires asking about "mentally unhealthy days" or feelings of "sadness." Further, population mental health estimates are predominantly consolidated to yearly estimates at the state level, which is considerably coarser than the best estimates of physical health. Through the large-scale analysis of social media, robust estimation of population mental health is feasible at finer resolutions.

Patients' perceptions of physicians' recommendations for comfort care differ by patient age and gender.

Objective: To determine patient characteristics associated with patient and proxy perceptions of physicians' recommendations for life-prolonging care versus comfort care, and with acceptance of such recommendations.

Design: Cross-sectional.

Setting: Five teaching hospitals in Denver, Colo.