David Brody, MD

Social media can be intimidating to those who provide mental health care. Why? Privacy and liability concerns are probably the first things that come to mind. However, careful and creative use of social media Web sites, such as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn, can enhance your professional profile, promote high standards of patient care, and facilitate collaboration among colleagues.

Social media encompasses a wide range of Internet-based activities, including blogs, microblogs, wikis-and social networks. Blogs can help educate patients and caregivers about mental health topics, such as recently approved treatments, and typically provide such content on a regular basis. Blogs reach a wide audience and provide easy links to other sources of information (eg, the FDA).

For psychiatrists, being aware of topics that generate interest on social media sites not only fuels ideas for your own “tweets” or blog posts but also helps you anticipate concerns raised by your patients.

Note, however, that this sort of social media activity does not 

Many social media sites are designed to facilitate conversations among users, thereby creating an interactive social network. This may be very useful, since you can share information with and respond to posts received from others on the site (eg, about medication efficacy studies). Social networking sites that provide secure and private access (such as the APA page on LinkedIn) can also promote professional collaboration.

Because a psychiatrist must not do anything to compromise a patient’s right to confidential communication, social networking that involves patients does not have much utility in clinical practice. Many patients invite their psychiatrist or other behavioral health provider to join a social network (eg, a Facebook “friend” request). If the clinician accepts the invitation, communication with the patient is by definition not confidential and could easily impede treatment.

Setting up an account for your practice on social media Web sites such as Facebook and Twitter is very easy. One caveat is to keep your practice account separate from any personal accounts you may have on the same sites. Also, many social media sites encourage or require you to sign up with “business” accounts. Such accounts often have more controls over which features your business wants to present on the social network. For example, Facebook allows you to turn off the ability for other Facebook users to write on your “wall” (the most publicly viewable part of any Facebook page).

With your newly created social media account, you can begin to follow other behavioral health professionals or start to write about mental health topics yourself. As your network increases in number and in breadth of discipline, you will find new material in new places-other clinicians, journal newsfeeds, and items from the popular press.

Social media and networking offers an amazing amount of information to patients and quickly spreads treatment resources to behavioral health care providers.

A strong social media presence also helps generate referrals. Often potential patients will use search tools built into the social networks or traditional search engines (eg, Google and Bing) to learn more about a condition or health care provider. What they find may lead them to your Web site . . . and into your office.

Networking with colleagues on sites such as LinkedIn may also generate direct referrals from those colleagues.

For more and more of us, social media is the primary way we use the Internet-and this trend has been growing for years. According to the Pew Research Center, for example, “As of February 2012, one-third (34%) of Internet users aged 65 and older use social networking sites such as Facebook, and 18% do so on a typical day.”

 According to Wikipedia, “If Facebook were a country, it would be the world’s third largest in terms of population, larger even than the USA.”

 And like any other technology, the more we use it, the more dependent on it we become.

Having even a basic idea of the potential-as well as of the perils-of social media is therefore not only important to good practice, but it may be essential to good practice.

 Zickuhr K, Madden M. Older adults and internet use. PewInternet. June 6, 2012. 

http://pewinternet.org/Reports/2012/Older-adults-and-internet-use.aspx

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media#cite_note-19

Articles

Having even a basic idea of the potential--as well as of the perils--of social media is therefore not only important to good practice, but it may be essential to good practice.

Social Media: A Key Component to the Psychiatrist's Practice

Social media can be intimidating to those who provide mental health  care. Why? Privacy and liability concerns are probably the first things that  come to mind. However, careful and creative use of social media Web sites, such  as Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn can enhance your professional profile,  promote high standards of patient care, and facilitate collaboration among  colleagues.


 Social media encompasses a wide range of Internet-based activities,  including blogs, microblogs, wikis-and social networks. Blogs (like this one)  can educate about mental health topics, such as recently approved treatments,  and typically provide such content on a regular basis. Blogs reach a wide  audience and provide easy links to other sources of information (eg, the FDA).

For psychiatrists, being aware of topics that generate interest on  social media sites not only fuels ideas for your own “tweets” or blog posts,  but helps you anticipate concerns raised by your patients.

However, it is important to emphasize that this sort of social media  activity does not 

 interaction  with the intended audience.

 
 Many social media sites are designed to facilitate conversations among  users, thereby creating an interactive social network. This may be very useful,  since you can share information with and respond to posts received from others  on the site (eg, medication efficacy studies). Social networking sites that  provide secure and private access (such as the APA page on LinkedIn) can also  promote professional collaboration.

Because a psychiatrist must not do anything to compromise a patient’s  right to confidential communication, social networking that involves patients  does not have much utility in clinical practice. Many patients will invite  their psychiatrist or other behavioral health provider, to join a social  network (eg, a Facebook “friend” request). If the clinician accepts  the invitation, communication with the patient is by definition not  confidential and could easily impede treatment.


 Setting up an account for your practice on social media Web sites such as  Facebook and Twitter is very easy. You must keep your practice account separate  from any personal accounts you may use on the same sites, and many social media  sites encourage or require you to sign up with “business” accounts. Such  accounts often have more controls over which features your business wants to  present on the social network. For example, Facebook allows you to turn off the  ability for other Facebook users to write on your “wall” (the most publicly  viewable part of any Facebook page).

With your newly created social media account, you can begin to follow  other behavioral health professionals or start to write about mental health  topics yourself. As your network increases in number and in breadth of  discipline, you will find new material in new places-other clinicians, journal  newsfeeds, and items from the popular press.

Social media and networking offers an amazing amount of information to  patients, and quickly spreads treatment resources to behavioral health care  providers.


 A strong social media presence also helps generate referrals. Often  potential patients will use search tools built into the social networks or  traditional search engines (eg, Google and Bing), to learn more about a  condition or health care provider. What they find may lead them to your Web site  . . . and into your office.

Networking with colleagues on sites such as LinkedIn may also generate  direct referrals from those colleagues.


 For more and more  of us, social media is the primary way we use the Internet-and this trend has  been growing for years. According to the Pew Reseach Center, for example, “As  of February 2012, one third (34%) of Internet users age 65 and older use social  networking sites such as Facebook, and 18% do so on a typical day.”

  According to Wikipedia, “If Facebook were a country it would be the world’s  third largest in terms of population, larger even than the USA.”

 And  like any other technology, the more we use it, the more dependent on it we  become.

Having even a basic  idea of the potential-as well as of the perils-of social media is therefore not  only important to good practice, but it may be essential for a great practice.

 Zickuhr K, Madden M. Older adults and internet use.  PewInternet. 

For psychiatrists, having even a basic idea of the potential-as well as of the perils-of social media is not only important to good practice, but it may be essential for a great practice.

Social Media for Psychiatrists: Ignorance Is Not Bliss

It seems like everyone has a website-including mental health professionals. From movie schedules to treatment options, search engines serve up relevant information to millions of people each day. So, in the ever-evolving state of technology use in the medical field, it’s important to assess what you need from a website and how you want to get there.


The first thing to think about is what you want the site to do for you. Is it simply a space where patients and colleagues can learn about your professional practice (eg, practice location, professional interests, hospital and/or academic affiliations) or do you want to be able to interact with visitors on a wider level?

If your goal is to educate your patients about particular topics, you may devote a section to psychiatric disorders or common mental health concerns. Insert links to professional groups such as the American Psychiatric Association that provide information to the general public. Include articles you’ve written or links to other providers. This information is unidirectional: visitors to your site will be able to access information, but they won’t be able to (easily) send any information. This kind of site is relatively low maintenance because you can decide to update information as frequently, or infrequently, as you choose.

However, if you want to interact with your website visitors, take into account the amount of time you wish to devote to the site. After all, it might seem like a good idea to allow visitors to comment on your blog or request an appointment, but someone is going to need to monitor those comments and follow up on requests. Interactive sites can be a great way to build a referral base or improve your online profile, but it is 

 easy to underestimate the amount of time you’ll spend maintaining the site.

This leads to an important piece of advice: don’t let the content on your website get old. There is no quicker way to turn off visitors than to allow too much time to elapse between updates or new postings. Once you create a site, it is a commitment.


You’ll want to check with your malpractice insurer regarding their recommendations or policies about website. For example, you should never give, or allow the impression that you’re giving, medical advice. To do so is unethical and against the law. If you discuss treatments online, it may be important to add a disclaimer that your site should not be construed as offering advice and that any treatment decisions should be made under the direct guidance of a physician.


We strongly recommend hiring a website designer or consultant. These professionals will help you with initial setup decisions like hosting, design, and security. Perhaps most important, however, is that they will work with you to create content in a way that helps you reach your goals. For example, if you want to create a website that will increase referrals to your practice, topics such as analytics, web forms, and search engine optimization must be considered.

A website for your practice can increase your patient base and decrease advertising costs, but it does require planning and an initial investment. With that said, we encourage psychiatrists and others in the mental health field to consider what a Web presence can do for their practices and their patients. After all, when was the last time you went to a new doctor without checking them out online first?

A website for your practice can increase your patient base and decrease advertising costs, but it does require planning and an initial investment.

David Brody, MD

Articles

Social Media: A Key Component to the Psychiatrist's Practice

Social Media for Psychiatrists: Ignorance Is Not Bliss

Mental Health Professionals: Guidelines for Starting Your Own Website