Contact: Melissa Katz
Phone: (202) 682-6142
Email: [email protected]
In light of recent allegations about public figures, APAÃs Division of Public Affairs has been receiving calls from journalists asking for psychiatrists to speculate on alleged addictions or disorders.
Please note when interviewing members of the psychiatric profession that ethical guidelines forbid commenting on specific aspects of a public figure's mental health and to ask a psychiatrist to do so would be inappropriate and unfair.
ìGoldwater ruleî: ìOn occasion psychiatrists are asked for an opinion about an individual who is in the light of public attention, or who has disclosed information about him or herself through public media. In such circumstances, a psychiatrist may share with the public his or her expertise about psychiatric issues in general. However, it is unethical for a psychiatrist to offer a professional opinion about that specific individual unless he or she has conducted an examination and has been granted proper authorization for such a statement.î This is an excerpt from Section 7 of The Principles of Medical Ethics With Annotations Especially Applicable to Psychiatry.
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