Many companies sponsor things, and in the world of mental health and psychiatry, those companies tend to be pharmaceutical. Sponsorships help promote a company’s brand (and, indirectly, the products they sell). Since I believe — like most mental health professionals — that most people benefit from a combination of both medications and psychotherapy in the treatment of serious mental disorders, I see the value of many pharmaceutical companies’ products.
However, as we putter along in this age of the Internet, I’ve seen a disturbing trend toward blurring the line between editorial content and advertising.
And now I see, thanks to a blog entry this week by Dr. Danny Carlat, that this trend is being promulgated by one of the very organizations responsible for overseeing and accrediting continuing medical education, the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME).