To blog about mental health as a clinician?

[Bothsides]

I'm blogging about mental health in general and my experiences both as a clinician in the NHS (iapt) and as a patient in psychoanalysis. DH said it was "dodgy" and a risk to my career.
The blog isn't under my name, I don't mention my location or anything. I'm not currently unwell (but I have been in the past) and the blog isn't about my personal problems (apart from my #timetotalk post).

I don't know if I'm doing something unsafe and crazy or whether not doing it is just buying into mental health stigma?

[Link removed by MNHQ at OP's request]

Also I obviously don't break patient confidentiality in any way ever.

Are you using examples drawn from your clinical experience, or taking inspiration from real life patients, or are you just talking in general?

If you are saying things that your patients could, if they read the blog, recognise as coming from your sessions with them, that could be a problem, unless you have their permission to do this.

I had a long series of CBT sessions last year, and my therapist was very clear about what would happen with the notes she took, and what information could or would be shared, and with whom. If she had asked to use some of my experiences anonymously on a blog, I would probably have agreed. If I found out she had done it without asking me, I would be cross, and it would lessen the trust I had in her.

I think you have to be careful as some cases could still be recognisable if they are unusual. Can you get some professional advice?

You need to be really careful not to identify anyone - even if your own identity should ever be revealed.

Otherwise not sure what he's bothered about.

I'd never discuss any patients, details of cases, specifics, generals. It's my experiences, not my patients.

I have written a blog about my clinical experiences that was published in a national newspaper. As you have already said you know better than to identify patients or your employer etc...
What surprised me was that EVERYTHING became "transparent" (not a good word but best I could think of).
The newspaper published my blog on Twitter with a link to my Twitter name (so far so good), but from there is was possible to work out my employer (based on who I followed & a couple of tweets about recent CQC etc), that's where things could have got sticky. I was ok but just look carefully at everything linked to you on social media or even better create a new account just for this if it's going to be a regular thing.
Good luck, mental health is tough at the moment

If you weren't discussing your clinical work you should be fine but you would need to be very, very careful not to let anything slip through

bothsides I've considered doing the same I'm also an IAPT clinician and have my own struggles with my mental health..I think it's a great thing to do and as long as you aren't blogging about patients you are working with or being overly critical of the organisation you work for I think its a really brilliant thing to do. We all have 'mental health' sometimes people that work in services forget that and become a bit 'us and them' so its refreshing to see something different. Good luck

I wonder if your employer would OK it.
Have you checked with them?

The only thing I would say is the blog has your name at the bottom and so it is attached to you..if you google it it will come up with your location and iapt service. I'd try to change this..I personally try not to publish anything on the internet under my real name given my job.

In the two minutes I've just spent looking at your blog, I've found your Facebook page, where you live, where you work and some corporate documents with your name in relating to your IAPT service.

I won't post anything here, but I'd be aware that I'm by no means an expert in this kind of thing, and it was very easy to put two and two together and find you. Someone who was actually looking could probably find much more.

If you are going to do this, it needs to be completely anonymous, and it also needs to be okayed by your employer incase it does come out.

OK thanks. I've made it has hidden and will delete it later. Not worth it. Thanks guys.

I don't think you need to totally scrap the idea it was a good blog..just look into how to ensure its private to protect yourself x

What is your NHS trust/employers policy on this. I have worked for a large mental health trust, not Iapt though (secondary care and would never do this without finding out. Check your contract and all relevant policy documents. It's not just about confidential info (which I appreciate you are being very careful about), but opinions and thought which an employer may view as represnting them in some way...

It's completely unethical without your patients permission. I'm surprised as a clinician that you are even asking.

I'd love to read something like that I think it sounds really interesting don't scrap it but make it private

Sorry, I've reread and seen it's about your experiences not your patients. I would check with your employer in that case.

Look up "Tom Reynolds", author of NeeNaw/ Random Reality, the paramedics blog. It was later published as a book and then made into a TV series, I have forgotten the name but it was really good. He worked for the London Ambulance Service and wrote and lectured about "how to blog without losing your job." He had the full permission of the LAS to write his blog. I think when he blogged about patients he changed absolutely everything about them e.g. Gender, race, age etc - so they became totally unrecognisable.

1. Doing this under your name is a self-disclosure / boundary issue with your clients. You have a duty of care towards them and it's not that helpful to put information out there that they're reasonably likely to find. It's your job to look after boundaries.

1. Stigma? Sorry if this sounds harsh but you didn't invent mental health blogging, lots of therapists do it.

1. In future discuss these issues in supervision. I personally think you should take this to supervision anyway even though you've taken the blog down.