Abstract
WHAT IS AUSPSYC?
‘Auspsyc’ (note, not ‘auspsych’) is a free email discussion list that is proving to be a very useful means of communication between Australasian psychiatrists. It is a private list, available only to psychiatrists, psychiatry registrars and psychiatry medical officers, in Australia and New Zealand.
auspsyc is an email discussion list, not a ‘bulletin board’. When a psychiatrist has been listed by the moderator as a member of auspsyc, the member may then send an email to a specific address: <
By the aforementioned mechanism, there can be ongoing discussion of professional issues with great immediacy. It is not necessary to go to a particular webpage to receive messages or post messages. There have been some very useful discussions on important professional matters over several years now. Email is a very convenient and fast communication tool and the list brings together clinicians from all parts of Australasia.
HISTORY
The auspsyc email list was created in 1997 by Angelo Ferraro, then a psychiatry trainee. Its purpose was to provide an electronic forum where psychiatrists and trainees in Australia and New Zealand could freely discuss issues relevant to the profession in the region. Angelo wanted a consultant psychiatrist to be the moderator, so I took over that task in 2000.
The list is set up on a free email host, Yahoo Groups. Listbot was used initially, but we changed to Yahoo in 2001 when Listbot went commercial. The Yahoo Groups URL is http://groups.yahoo.com. One can set up a group with various styles of operation from that site.
MEMBERSHIP
Any person who wishes to join auspsyc is requested to identify themselves and confirm that they are a psychiatrist, psychiatry registrar or psychiatry medical officer. To have a free discussion of professional matters, it is necessary to keep a group such as this closed to the general public. Concerns have been voiced, from time to time, about other persons being on the auspsyc discussion list. To my knowledge, there have been only two individuals who were not psychiatrists, trainees or psychiatry medical officers who have managed to obtain access to the list. After unease was expressed some months ago about confidentiality of members, any new member is now asked to identify their place of work and to provide the name and email address of a referee.
ETHOS
The purpose of the group is free, open, professional communication about matters that are of interest to psychiatrists. There is no particular agenda or ‘axe to grind’. The moderator does not actually know the numbers of colleagues from various segments of the psychiatric community that are on the list. From time to time the moderator reminds list members that ‘flaming’ (or personally attacking) colleagues is not acceptable behaviour on email lists and that it is best to stick to discussion of the professional issues. Flaming can result in the correspondent(s) being removed from the list by the moderator. This is usual ‘netiquette’ procedure for email discussion lists. Occasionally it has been necessary to remind members that an email is a form of publication and that it is therefore subject to the laws of defamation, just like any other kind of publication. This has been a problem on perhaps only one or two occasions. The protagonists of the one or two email conflicts that have occurred have settled their issues by separate, private email correspondence.
GUIDELINES
Guidelines have been formulated for auspsyc. These are as follows.
Postings should focus on what may be of interest to the group as a whole. Members should reply to an individual privately if the list would not benefit from a particular communication; the email of the sender should be visible in the auspsyc email.
‘Flaming’ or personally attacking colleagues is not acceptable behaviour on email lists.
Write when we have something substantial to say and attempt to be succinct, without stifling discussion. Limit ‘me too’ postings.
Email is a form of publication and is therefore subject to the laws of defamation, as for any other kind of publication.
Post if we seek the group's help on a clinical or ethical matter.
Correspond directly with a colleague publicizing a conference or workshop, or who seeks a specific piece of information.
CONTENT
The host list server was changed from Listbot to Yahoo Groups in June 2001. The number of emails handled each month since that time has varied quite a lot, depending on what was ‘hot’ at the time (Table 1).
A quick review of the content of messages by scanning the headlines on the archive shows that the following broad groups of topics have been discussed.
General: new members, guidelines for postings, virus warnings, access to the website, notes about attachments on email discussion lists, messages from non-subscribers, netiquette on email lists, and archives.
Discussion about psychiatric disorders: medications in severe posttraumatic stress disorder, attention deficit disorder, neuroscience validating psychotherapy, ‘dumbing down’ of medicine, clinical practice guidelines for schizophrenia, psychiatry textbooks, electronic textbooks, Medicare changes, grief therapy, dealing with aggression in an inpatient setting, case reports, shackling of mental patients, Victorian report into inpatient services, consensus statement via the Cardiac Safety Committee, electroconvulsive therapy, after-hours work, terrorist ripple effects, item 319 restrictions.
Drug issues and information: the use of Zyban, keeping nortriptyline on the Public Benefits Scheme, quetiapine and lithium toxicity, stimulant use in children, quetiapine prescribing for nonauthority indications, computer-generated prescriptions, clozapine-induced excessive salivation, the ethics of pharmaceutical sponsorship, prescribing of medications ‘off indication’.
Professional organization issues: continuing medical education (CME), CME in the USA, MOPS, communication problems in the College, information flow problems in the College, National Association of Practising Psychiatrists, processes in professional organizations, the role of the Governor-General as Patron of the College.
Practice issues: practice management software, locums, handling of Work Cover and Traffic Accident Commission consults.
Media: books, recommended papers, brochures available, TV programmes on psychiatrists, bulletins of various sorts.
Government issues: government reports, funding of psychiatric services, inpatient psychiatric services.
Current events: general practitioner (GP) liaison issues, private psychiatrists network, GP liaison item number.
People issues: locums, deaths of Fellows or psychiatrists known to College Fellows, messages of condolences etc.
Number of emails posted on auspsyc, July 2001 – August 2002
An archive can be accessed by members by going to the auspsyc webpage at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/auspsyc/ and obtaining a Yahoo identity and password. Access to archived messages is then provided.
VALUE OF AUSPSYC
Email is a wonderful tool for speedy communication and discussion among professional colleagues. The following message is not unusual.
Since joining auspsyc last weekend, I have been fascinated by and impressed with the level of discourse and rapidity of response that auspsyc provides. It is clearly a key method of communication for Fellows and trainees on a range of issues.
An example of the usefulness of auspsyc was the recent need to quickly develop policy on a general practice liaison item number and form a private psychiatrists' network. Email to auspsyc enabled the prompt development of a private psychiatrists' network, which has worked largely by email to develop policy that has, in turn, been accepted as College policy by General Council. Comments from members of auspsyc were useful in formulating that policy.
HOW TO JOIN AUSPSYC
Readers of Australasian Psychiatry are invited to join the auspsyc email list. You can subscribe in one of two ways: (i) by sending a blank email to <
You will then receive the following email from the moderator.
Re. auspsyc enquiry
Dear enquirer, Thank you for your enquiry to auspsyc. The list is open only to Australian and NZ psychiatrists, psych registrars, and psych medical officers; I am obliged to verify your identity since listmembers have been concerned about postings from nonpsychiatrists.
Accordingly, could you please send to my private email
Some information: your name, place of work, professional role, and brief CV;
The name of a professional referee who is a psychiatrist or psych trainee (or possibly an auspsyc member) with an email address for that person; then I can list you.
The moderator thereby authorizes your membership. Once you have joined, you can post messages to the list to <
Enjoy!
AUSPSYC GROUP EMAIL ADDRESSES
Post message: <
Subscribe: <
Website: 〈http://groups.yahoo.com/group/auspsyc>
Unsubscribe: <