Felicia K. Wong, MDAPA SAMHSA Minority Fellow

Umass Medical School PGY-4 Psychiatry Resident

Objectives

Introduce Facebook, as an example of social media.

Address some common questions Psychiatrists have about Facebook.

Demonstrate how you can control your Privacy.

Explain how a Facebook membership might be useful to you as a person, and as a Psychiatrist

Common Questions:

1. What is Facebook?

2. Why should I be on Facebook?

3. Won’t patients be able to access all my personal information?

4. What if a patient “friend requests” me? Should I accept?

Adapted from: Facebook Primer for Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists, by Dr. Tristan Gorrindo, MD.

Facebook is the Leading Social Networking Site

Why should I join Facebook?PROS: Doctors are

people too. Doctors can be social and have friends just like any other person. * It can be used for advocacy and networking

CONS: Can lead to a mess of personal and professional information.

Joining Facebook is a Personal Decision!BUT as a clinician, you must use it responsibly!

PRIVACY

Generally speaking, most clinicians should be using their privacy settings in order to limit the flow of personal information to patients who may be on Facebook

Will my patient be able to access all of my personal information? If privacy settings applied, NO.

You can turn off public search so that your Facebook profile can not be found on Google or other search engines.

Privacy Tips!

1. Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your Mom to see.

2. Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your spouse to see.

3. Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your children to see.

4. Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your boss or colleagues to see.

5. Definitely don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your patients to see.

What if a patient sends a friend request?BOUNDARIES!!!

When you “friend” a patient, you are allowing them to see personal photographs, browse your friends, and know more detailed knowledge about you than you would generally allow in a physician-patient relationship.

How do you decline a friend request from a patient? Discuss the “friend request” with your

patient in a non-shaming manner. During the next appointment,

acknowledge the patient’s curiosity and desire to want to know more about you.

As a clinician, it is important to remind the patient that they are best served when the relationship between the patient and physician exists only within the confines of the therapeutic space.

The APA is on Facebook!!!

The APA, APA Healthy Minds, and American Psychiatric Foundation are using Facebook as a convenient way to reach out to members and consumers.

What can you find on the APA Facebook Page?

Also on the APA Site… Events: Information on the annual meeting

and upcoming IPS meeting Favorite Pages: with links to DSM-5,

Mental Health America, etc. Causes: with the ability to donate/ view the

American Psychiatric Foundation page Videos: APA President’s Dr. Schatzberg’s

commentary: Pride & Promise: Toward a New Psychiatry

Take home points:

Joining Facebook is a personal decision.

Manage your profile in a manner that keeps your personal and professional information and relationships from mixing in inappropriate ways.

Use Privacy Settings!!!! (To Learn how, visit: http://mashable.com/2009/08/14/facebook-networking/)

Take home points continued.. Facebook can also be used by groups to

connect members, promote causes, raise awareness, improve and increase communication.

Visit the APA Facebook page to learn more about the organization’s activities and press releases.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Psychiatric-Association/44137769986?ref=ts

References http://www.aacap.org/galleries/default-file/AACAP

%20News%202009%20Facebook%20Primer%20for%20Members.pdf

http://www.socialmediadefined.com/2008/11/06/facebook-defined/

http://www.aacap.org/galleries/default-file/AACAP%20News%202009%20Youth%20Facebook%20Use.pdf

http://mashable.com/2009/08/14/facebook-networking/