Posts Tagged ‘online mental health’

The ISMHO’s ad hoc handling of evidence that one of the organization’s founders inadvertently published confidential client material on a public website without consent, and the subsequent expulsion of the whistleblower, highlight several constructive opportunities for improving and reforming the ISMHO and bringing a more explicit ethical component to its management. This document outlines seven suggested principles for raising the standard of ethical and competent management within the International Society for Mental Health Online.

Two weeks after well documented facts were published indicating unethical behaviour by an ISMHO founder, the mental health organization’s board of directors has formally expelled the whistleblower for activities contrary to the best interests of ISMHO — i.e., for telling the truth. The result of the board’s secret deliberations comes just days after board members misled the ISMHO membership, claiming the APA had found that no unethical behaviour had ever occurred.

Internet-based treatments for sufferers of panic disorder may be just as effective as face-to-face methods, according to the results of two years of research at Monash University in Australia.

The International Society for Mental Health Online has expelled from its discussion list the whistleblower who first brought evidence to light suggesting unethical behaviour on the part of one of the group’s board members. The expulsion has apparently occurred in violation of the organization’s own guidelines. In addition, I would like to apologize publicly for incorrectly suggesting the ISMHO had censored the original message pointing to the evidence of this unprofessional behaviour.

Original article removed 28 July 2006: At the request of the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), the article originally appearing at this URL has been removed. The BACP request allows that the article may be republished at a later time provided that identifying features of people and professional bodies involved in the matter being reported have been removed. The URL for the appropriately edited article is available below.