GLOBAL TRENDS AND RESEARCH NETWORKS IN MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH: A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS USING VOSVIEWER

Abstract

Mental health research has expanded significantly in recent years due to growing concerns related to psychological well-being, emotional stress, and behavioral
health issues among students and professionals. The present study investigates global research developments in mental health using bibliometric and scientometric
visualization techniques. Data for the study was collected from the Dimensions database covering publications published between 2015 and 2025. A total of 1,965
research publications were analyzed using VOSviewer to examine publication growth, citation patterns, collaboration networks, and thematic research areas. The
study applies co-authorship analysis, co-citation analysis, bibliographic coupling, and keyword occurrence mapping to identify major contributors and emerging
research directions. The findings reveal a rapid increase in scientific publications after 2020, reflecting growing international attention toward mental healthcare
and psychological support systems. Emerging topics such as AI-assisted mental healthcare, digital counseling platforms, online interventions, and technologysupported well-being systems have gained substantial research interest. The study provides useful insights into influential authors, institutions, journals, and
collaborative research trends that shape the global mental health research landscape.