Website Policies

Disclaimer

General

The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is committed to protecting your privacy. We do not disclose, give, sell, or transfer any personal information about visitors to our websites, unless required by law or court order.

We do not collect any personally identifiable information about you when you visit our website (other than the standard information automatically collected and stored on our server logs) unless you choose to give it to us. For more information about the type of information we collect, view our Privacy Policy. 

NIMH privacy policies are consistent with the NIH Privacy Policies  and the HHS Privacy Policy .

Medical Information

As a federal research agency, NIMH does not provide specific medical advice. Please consult with a qualified health care provider for diagnosis, treatment, and answers to your medical questions.

For questions related to mental health research, requests for copies of publications, and inquiries concerning NIMH research, policies, and priorities, please contact the NIMH Information Resource Center at 1-866-615-6464 or nimhinfo@nih.gov.

External Linking Policy and Disclaimer of Endorsement

Links from NIMH to other websites

Our website includes links to other websites that are not owned by NIMH.

In general, we link to:

• Other federal agencies
• Organizations we have a formal relationship with (such as a memorandum of understanding, license, or funding or development agreement)
• Other websites that feature the NIMH director, NIMH staff, or NIMH research

External linking policy

• The graphic ( ‌ ) next to a link on our website means that clicking on the link will take you to a website that is not owned by NIMH.
• We share links to external websites to provide more information. However, we cannot guarantee that the information on those sites is accurate.
• Linking to an external website does not mean we endorse the sponsors of those websites or their products.
• If you click on a link and leave our website, you'll be subject to that website's privacy policy.
• We cannot grant permission to use or copy materials from external websites. To use these materials, please ask the owner of that website for permission.

Pop-Up Advertisements

When you visit our website, you may see ads that appear on your computer screen without you clicking anything. These ads could be from a website you previously visited or from other software on your computer. NIMH does not endorse or recommend the products or services that appear in these ads.

Copyright Policy

Can I copy and reuse information on the NIMH website?

Yes, unless otherwise indicated, text on the NIMH website and in NIMH materials may be copied and reused.

• Permission to copy: The information on our website and in our materials is in the public domain. You may copy and reuse it without permission.
• Modifications: You can edit or reformat the copied text, but you cannot change it in a way that is misleading or inaccurate. 
• Attribution: If you use our information or publications, please cite the National Institute of Mental Health as the source. 
• Linking: We update our information regularly. We encourage you to link to our content rather than copy it to ensure users always have the most up-to-date information. 

Can I copy and reuse images on the NIMH website? 

No, you may not copy or reuse images on the NIMH website or in our materials, even if you cite them.

Most of the images on our website are stock photos of professional models. We use these photos to add visual interest to the website, and you cannot reuse these images for any purpose.

Can I reuse the information and images in NIMH publications?

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Like the website, the information in NIMH publications is in the public domain and may be reused or copied without permission. We encourage you to use our fact sheets, brochures, and infographics to improve public health. Please cite the National Institute of Mental Health as the source.

Please note: You may not reuse or copy any of the publication images.

Since it is unlawful to misuse government materials, we ask that you follow these guidelines when using our publications:

• Do not change the content of our publications in a way that is misleading or inaccurate.
• Do not add logos to our publications.
• Do not copy or reuse images in our publications, even if you cite them.
• Do not use our publications to advertise or endorse products, processes, or services.
• Do not use our publications to give the appearance of providing specific medical advice, treatment recommendations, or referrals. 
• Whenever possible, link to our publications instead of downloading them to ensure users always have the most up-to-date information.

Comment Guidelines

We encourage you to share your thoughts, as they relate to the topic being discussed, on our social media channels. NIMH reviews and posts comments according to the guidelines below.

The views expressed in comments reflect those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official views of NIMH, the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or the federal government.

The NIMH comment guidelines are designed to encourage respectful and constructive dialogue. Comments that include the following are prohibited:

• Vulgar, offensive, obscene, inflammatory, profane, threatening, or abusive language.
• Unlawful or otherwise objectionable statements; personal attacks of any kind; unsupported accusations.
• Discriminatory language (including hate speech) based on race, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or disability.
• Endorsements of commercial products, services, organizations, or other entities.
• Endorsements of political parties, candidates, or groups.
• Repetitive posts (for example, submission of the same idea multiple times).
• Spam or undecipherable language (gratuitous links will be viewed as spam).
• Content that infringes on copyrights.
• Links to non-governmental external sites.
• Images or videos.
• Solicitation of funds.
• Comments on any ongoing investigation of any sort.
• Procurement-sensitive information related to any current/future NIH acquisitions.
• Surveys, polls, questionnaires, etc., that are subject to Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) clearance. General information about PRA clearance is available on the NIH Office of Science Policy  website. Please contact the NIMH PRA Clearance Team at nimhprapubliccomments@mail.nih.gov if you have any questions.
• Personal identifiable information or sensitive information.
• Off-topic posts.
• Questions from reporters – all media inquiries must be directed to the NIMH Press Team (nimhpress@mail.nih.gov).

By posting your comments or other work to websites owned or administered by NIMH, you irrevocably grant us permission to copy, distribute, make derivatives, display, or perform your work publicly and free-of-charge.

NIMH social media pages are not intended to be public forums. When posting, please do not include information (e.g., name, email, social security numbers) that personally identifies you in a way you do not intend. To learn more about NIMH privacy practices, please view our Privacy Policy.

NIMH recognizes that the web is a 24/7 medium, and your comments are welcome at any time. However, given the need to reasonably manage federal resources, moderating comments should only be expected to occur Monday through Friday during regular business hours. Comments submitted at other times will be reviewed as soon as possible. Please note that NIMH does not respond to individual comments or questions on a routine basis.