What Topics Do Members of the Eating Disorder Online Community Discuss and Empathize with? An Application of Big Data Analytics.

Given the stigma of eating disorders (EDs), anonymous online communities of individuals with EDs can play a critical role in their treatment. In our study, we aimed to identify prevalent topics related to EDs in one community. To discover latent topics in an online community dedicated to EDs, we applied an automated text-mining approach to topic modeling after collecting data from Reddit created between January 2011 and September 2020. As a result of topic modeling, topics regarding emotional support, informational support, and inquiries about EDs were discovered. In frequently asked questions and advice about EDs in the online community, community members empathized more with topics soliciting emotional support rather than informational support. Despite the importance of online communities, studies on this topic, especially those analyzing online conversations, have remained limited. By demonstrating the role of online communities in supplementary interventions, our findings can support clinicians in caring for patients with EDs.