MyTherapy Discussion Forums - Our Code Of Ethics

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Our Code Of Ethics

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Administrator
Administrator

14912 Posts
Gratitude: 593
Very caring Very wise I agree

Posted - 11/01/2007 : 14:39:56

Our Values

Our web community will actively encourage the following values:

Respect and Compassion

In order to encourage respect and compassion in our web community, we ask that community members refrain from telling others how they should live their lives (e.g., "get rid of that person" or "get off that medication"). We believe that feedback or advice is most helpful if it is offered as a suggestion or through an example of a personal experience. This teaching by personal example is much more respectful to others than direct advice giving.

Trust

We want our web community to be a gathering place for sincere, helpful people whose wisdom you can trust. That is why our staff will routinely remove messages that promote false claims of miraculous cures or other untruths. Since trust is so important, we do not allow members posting with 2 separate identities (posing as 2 different individuals). Any member doing this will be banned from our community.

Specific Guidelines

No Posts Concerning Imminent Suicide

This support community is an inappropriate resource for those who are imminently at risk of harming themselves or others. These are medical emergencies that require immediate psychiatric care from trained professionals.

Unfortunately, some individuals are chronically suicidal and repeatedly post "farewell" suicide notes to our community. We appreciate that such suicidal posts are a "cry for help", but these posts about imminent suicide are extremely upsetting for our other members.

Since our members are totally anonymous, we lack the ability to locate the member who posts a suicidal "farewell" letter. Thus the posting of a "farewell" suicide note serves no purpose, other than to seriously upset our entire community.

Members with more than 200 gratitude points can vote to ban any post that they feel is inappropriate, and likely to severely upset our community. The banned post will be automatically removed from view once 3 such (high gratitude) members vote that the post is inappropriate and upsetting. Such banned posts will be reviewed by our administrative staff. Initially, the main use of this "ban" vote will be to prevent the posting of "farewell" suicide notes. Only the inappropriate post will be banned, not the member.

Ethical Behavior

Our community believes in "The Golden Rule" (that we should treat others the way we want them to treat us). Thus members writing to condone unethical behavior (e.g., genocide, murder, violence, hatred) will be banned from our community.

Anonymity

Our members join our community to share with other people living with similar illnesses. Because many of our forums are public, we must keep our identities completely anonymous. In that way, we can discuss the role our significant others play in our lives without publicly embarrassing them. Likewise, we keep anonymous so that teachers, employers, fellow students or coworkers can not "Google" and identify our community posts. Private communication with friends can be held in your private blog where your anonymity can still be protected. To protect your anonymity, members should not communicate with each other off this site. We ask that members not exchange e-mail addresses, phone numbers or meet in person. Our experience is that these 'offsite' relationships can be disastrous (especially when one member becomes pathologically dependent or manipulative towards the other).

Friendship, Not Romance

This is not a social networking website to meet new romantic partners. In fact, we strongly caution against romances between community members. We ask that member-to-member romantic messages and/or lover's quarrels not be posted. We believe that it is an invasion of privacy to have our community read member-to-member love letters.

Members Preying On Other Members

Certain predatory individuals join self-help groups to prey on vulnerable members. These individuals initially "sound good". They may even read self-help books to improve their false public image of being a compassionate, understanding community member. Their real goal is to meet other members in person to prey on their emotional vulnerabilities in order to get money or sex.

To prevent this, we ask that you never reveal your real identity or meet with another member in person. Psychiatrically, it is extremely risky to meet other members in person for the purpose of romance.

Sobriety

We ask that you only post when you are not under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Democracy

Our community is simply a group of friends giving and getting feedback from each other. Our community is run democratically. We do have an administrative staff, but they are often busy elsewhere with their psychiatric duties. That is why it is essential that members direct our community by voting on posts (using the icons at the bottom of the posts). As members collect more "gratitude" points (for community service), they are given more voting privileges. If someone wants to change our community, they can start a petition in our "Opinion Polls" forum or just post their proposal in our other forums.

Our Code of Ethics

Our Code of Ethics is fairly enforced by our administrative staff. Members can click on the "Notify Admin" button underneath any post that they feel needs administrative attention. Our administrators have full-time jobs in psychiatry elsewhere; hence our administrators can only sporadically visit our communities each day. Unfortunately, our administrators don't have the time to read every post. Thus our administrators rely on our members to direct them to those posts which need administrative attention.

Suggestion, Not Criticism

Our members ask first if their advice is wanted before giving it to another member. This way, members can decide when they are ready to hear advice and feedback. We have learned that feedback or advice is most helpful if it is offered as a suggestion or through an example of a personal experience, but not as a criticism.

Drama

No member is allowed to launch a public personal attack against another member. If someone has posted something that violates our Code of Ethics; please click the "notify administrator" button and our administrator will deal with it. Our experience is that public airing of interpersonal disputes accomplishes little. It only serves to increase the drama and misunderstanding in our community.

If you find another member is obnoxious; simply click the "Ignore User" button. If you want to resolve a misunderstanding with another member; do so by posting in the private section of their personal blog.

Religious Tolerance

Many of our community members have gained great strength from their religious faith while coping with mental illness. Since our community is composed of members of many different faiths; all we ask is that members respect each other's religions and not try to argue with or convert nonbelievers to their faith.

The Debate About Abortion

Many of our members have strong religious convictions concerning abortion. Thus we ask that our members respect each other's differing points of view regarding abortion. Specifically, we ask that members not debate the topic of abortion in our communities.

Banned Activities

It is our policy to warn anyone showing flagrant disrespect [e.g., foul language], and to delete their disrespectful posting. If this disrespect persists, the member is banned from the community.

Likewise, we will warn anyone showing religious intolerance [e.g., stating that there is only one "true faith"], and delete their intolerant posting. If this religious intolerance persists, the member is banned from the community.

No advertisements (for research subjects, support for special projects, or commercial enterprises), or internet links to websites promoting these activities are allowed.

Unfortunately, we do not allow links to other, non-English speaking websites (because we can't determine their content).

Our community does not allow its members to actively promote scientifically unproven theories or treatments for mental illness. Thus members are not permitted to promote astrology, megavitamin therapy, or the Church of Scientology (etc.).

Keeping "On Topic"

We have many forums; each forum discusses a specific topic. In that way, members can join discussions that are specifically relevant to their needs. Sometimes a member accidentally posts something that would be better located in another forum. Our administrative staff will then transfer that post to the more appropriate forum.

We Are Not A Substitute For Professional Care

Although I am a psychiatrist and the administrator of this website; I can not legally treat anyone on this website. However, I can answer general questions about psychiatry and I can refer our members to relevant research.

Like everyone else in our community, I do post messages of encouragement to specific members when they are in crisis. My posts stress that the member in crisis seek professional help (and not just rely on help from anonymous friends in this support community).

Disclaimer:

Please note that the information contained in this website is provided for Canadians for educational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical care. Please consult your physician if you have any concerns about your mental health.

While great effort has been taken to assure the accuracy of the information featured on this website, MyTherapy.com and others contributing to the preparation of this website cannot accept liability for errors, omissions or any consequences arising from the use of the information.

Since this website is not intended to replace other prescribing information, physicians are urged to consult the manufacturers' and other available drug information literature before prescribing.

Phillip W. Long M.D.
Administrator