• Contact
• About APA
• Site Map

• Psychiatric Practice
  • Addiction Psychiatry
  • Ethics
  • Managing Your Practice
  • Medicare Medicaid
  • Practice Guidelines
  • Quality Improvement
• Education & Career Development
  • Educational Initiatives
  • Lifelong Learning & CME
  • Medical Students
  • Meetings
  • Melvin Sabshin Library & Archives
  • Residents
• Research
  • DSM
  • International Programs
  • Psychiatric Research Report
  • Health Policy Analysis
  • APIRE
  • Practice Research Network and Health Services Research
  • Research Training and Funding
  • Research in Residency
  • Research Colloquium for Junior Investigators
  • Endowment Campaign
• Advocacy
  • Communications & Public Affairs
  • Financing Health care
  • Government Relations
  • Multimedia
  • Political Action Committee
• Newsroom
  • Annual Reports
  • Annual Meeting Online Newsroom
  • APA Member & DBSA Resources
  • News Releases
• Member's Corner

• Home :
• Membership : Member to Member :

Member to Member

Electronic Mailing List & Electronic Communication Use Agreement

Participation in electronic mailing lists, chatrooms, web forums, e-mail lists, and other means of electronic communication that are provided by the American Psychiatric Association is a privilege afforded in part by our special status as a nonprofit professional association. As such, participants must follow certain guidelines designed to ensure that the lists are managed effectively, that they are conducted in a professional manner, and to ensure that APA is not placed at legal or financial risk. Failure to abide by these guidelines may result in temporary or permanent suspension from the lists and be imposed with or without additional warning. Among these requirements are:

1. Prohibition against Electioneering: The American Psychiatric Association, as a nonprofit organization, is restricted from engaging in a variety of activities, including electioneering or campaigning on behalf of a candidate for public political office or a political party. Tax exemption is precluded for an organization that participates in or intervenes in (including the publishing or distributing of statements) any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office. This is an absolute prohibition, with no requirement that the activity be substantial.

Therefore, the APA itself cannot endorse, contribute to, work for, or otherwise support a candidate for public office, nor can it oppose one. Moreover, neither officers, nor individual members, nor employees may engage in such activities while using the organization’s resources. If, through such activities, the APA were found to have engaged in electioneering, it could risk stiff penalties including fines and loss of its tax exempt status.

Substantive issues of a political nature may be discussed provided they do not conflict with the spirit of the above prohibition.

2. Prohibition against unprofessional conduct: All conduct on APA electronic mailing lists and electronic communications mediums should meet the highest standards of professional behavior. Personal attacks, "flaming", and cursing are prohibited on APA electronic mailing lists and electronic communications mediums. Any behavior which exposes APA to legal or financial risk is prohibited. List participants are reminded that postings are subject to legal discovery and live beyond their initial posting.

3. All postings shall be limited to the stated purpose of the electronic mailing list or communication medium. Solicitation or promotion of commercial products or services are not allowed.

4. All APA sponsored electronic mailing lists and electronic communications mediums shall be approved and operated through the APA central office and shall have a statement of purpose, eligibility for participation, a named administrator, required reading and acceptance of guidelines for participation, instructions for subscribing and posting to the list, a designated APA staff liaison, and contact information at APA central office.