Analysis of Mental Health Disease Trends Using BeGraph Software in Spanish Health Care Centers: Case Study

Abstract

Background In the era of big data, networks are becoming a popular factor in the field of data analysis. Networks are part of the main structure of BeGraph software, which is a 3D visualization application dedicated to the analysis of complex networks. Objective The main objective of this research was to visually analyze tendencies of mental health diseases in a region of Spain, using the BeGraph software, in order to make the most appropriate health-related decisions in each case. Methods For the study, a database was used with 13,531 records of patients with mental health disorders in three acute medical units from different health care complexes in a region of Spain. For the analysis, BeGraph software was applied. It is a web-based 3D visualization tool that allows the exploration and analysis of data through complex networks. Results The results obtained with the BeGraph software allowed us to determine the main disease in each of the health care complexes evaluated. We noted 6.50% (463/7118) of admissions involving unspecified paranoid schizophrenia at the University Clinic of Valladolid, 9.62% (397/4128) of admissions involving chronic paranoid schizophrenia with acute exacerbation at the Zamora Hospital, and 8.84% (202/2285) of admissions involving dysthymic disorder at the Rio Hortega Hospital in Valladolid. Conclusions The data analysis allowed us to focus on the main diseases detected in the health care complexes evaluated in order to analyze the behavior of disorders and help in diagnosis and treatment.