About MHReference.org

Learn more about the MHReference.org site, what it offers, and why it exists. Also see below for details on getting in touch.

About the Site

MHReference.org operates on a non-profit basis to provide a selection of reference materials focusing on symptoms and diagnostic criteria for common forms of mental distress. All revenues from advertising on this site go to operating and maintaining the site and its resources. (Our site includes some links to BetterHelp, and as a BetterHelp Affiliate, this site may receive compensation from BetterHelp or other sources if you purchase products or services through such links on this site.)

Should you need to get in touch about the site, we’d be glad to hear from you. Please note, however, that we are not able to provide direct feedback or advice on questions involving diagnosis or symptomatology; please consult with a qualified healthcare professional or mental health practitioner on these topics.

You can drop us a line at:

The graphic portion of our unofficial logo was created by the Bangkok illustrator Kraphix and is used under license, copyright © Depositphotos.com/Kraphix.

Privacy

General Approach to Privacy

MHReference.org safeguards the privacy of all site visitors. MHReference.org and the providers of this site will not normally share individual information about site visitors with any third party (but please see the specific exceptions outlined below), and will not contact site visitors without permission. This commitment to confidentiality will be restricted or suspended only under direct legal requirement, and then only to the extent necessary to comply with the rule of law.

How We Collect and Use Visitor Information

Our site is designed not to collect personally identifiable visitor information of any kind. Therefore, under normal circumstances, we do not have any individual information about you to share.

Our server does automatically log all resource requests, which we use to analyse technical usage data such as visitor numbers and activity across the site. Additional information recorded in standard server logs may include, but is not limited to, device type and web browser, a device’s network connections and a device’s IP address. In addition, we may now or at any time in the future use third-party analytics services which enable us to analyse visitor activity in aggregate; we specifically configure third-party analytics services such as Google Analytics to discard information such as IP addresses.

MHReference.org visitors choosing to provide personal details to this website by writing to us with feedback, suggestions, questions or comments are taken to have given their permission to be contacted in connection with their communication to us. (Note that we may operate automatic reply systems — such as out-of-office notifiers, anti-spam verification systems, and the like — which result in replies automatically being sent in response to certain email messages.) Except in the unlikely event that we are required to do so due to legal requirements, personal details received in this manner will never be shared with any third party without permission.

No personal details will knowingly be accepted from individuals under the age of 13. If you are under the age of 13, please do not write to this site.

Sharing With Third Parties

We may share personal information with other parties for our business purposes or as permitted or required by law, including:

  • if we need to do so to comply with a law, legal process or regulations;
  • if we believe, in our sole discretion, that the disclosure of personal data is necessary or appropriate to prevent physical harm or financial loss or in connection with an investigation of suspected or actual illegal activity;
  • to protect the vital interests of a person;
  • to investigate violations of or enforce a user agreement or other legal terms applicable to our service;
  • to protect our property, services and legal rights;
  • to facilitate a purchase or sale of all or part of our business;
  • to companies that we plan to merge with or be acquired by; and
  • to support our audit, compliance, and corporate governance functions.

In addition, we may provide aggregated statistical data to third parties, including other businesses and members of the public, about how, when, and why users visit our site and use our services. This data will not personally identify individuals or their activity. We do not share personal information with third parties for their marketing purposes.

International Transfers

Our operations are supported by individual servers, cloud-based servers, and other infrastructure and information technology operated by us and by third parties. Where those third parties — including but not limited to Google, which provides our email services — are established in jurisdictions outside the EU, we have reviewed the published data handling policies of those third parties and believe that they offer suitable protection of personal data commensurate with EU law. In particular, Google is certified under the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework, which is a legal mechanism to enable the transfer of personal data from the EEA to the US, where certified organisations guarantee to provide a level of protection in line with EU data protection law.

Cookies

In some specific circumstances, this site may use cookies to support the normal operation of our publishing platform. Cookies may be placed either directly by our server, or by third parties assisting in our site evaluation and development efforts.

Most web browsers will accept cookies by default, but they can be set to reject cookies, either from all websites or from specific sites. Users can also manually delete cookies directly via the web browser. These options are generally configured through a ‘Privacy’ setting in the browser.

For more details about how we or advertisers use cookies on this site, please see our separate page specifically about Cookies and Privacy.

Privacy Choices and Rights

Visitors are under no obligation whatsoever to provide personal information of any kind to this site.

Subject to limitations set out in EU data protection laws, visitors have certain rights in respect of personal data, including a right of access, rectification, restriction, opposition, erasure and data portability. Please contact us if you would like to exercise these rights.

Updates

We may revise this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our business, the site or services, or applicable laws. The revised Privacy Policy will be effective as of the date of publication.

Data Protection Act

The provider of this site (Mulhauser Consulting, Ltd.) is registered in the United Kingdom as a Data Controller under the Data Protection Act 1998 and is committed to meeting the requirements of the GDPR.

If you are not satisfied by the way in which we address your concerns, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority for data protection in your country.

Registered Office

Mulhauser Consulting, Ltd. is registered in England no. 4455464. Registered office: 31 High Street, Haverhill, Suffolk CB9 8AD.

Terms of Use

Definitions

‘The Site’ refers to the online service provided at MHReference.org by Mulhauser Consulting, Ltd. (‘The Provider’). ‘The User’ is any person who establishes a connection to or causes a connection to be established to MHReference.org via the World Wide Web or to any other URL registered by The Provider and arranged to resolve to the same internet host as MHReference.org. ‘The Agreement’ refers to this document.

License from the Provider

The Provider grants The User a personal, worldwide, royalty-free, non-assignable and non-exclusive license to use The Site. This license is for the sole purpose of enabling The User to use and enjoy the benefit of The Site as provided by The Provider, in the manner permitted by The Agreement, and is strictly contingent upon The User agreeing to comply with The Agreement in its entirety.

Unless The Provider has given The User specific written permission to do so, The User may not assign (or grant a sub-license of) The User’s license to use The Site, grant a security interest in or over The User’s license to use the The Site, or otherwise transfer any part of The User’s license to use The Site.

General Agreement

By making any connection to The Site, other than to read The Agreement for the first time, The User agrees to comply with all terms and conditions herein. If The User does not agree to comply with all the terms and conditions herein, The Provider specifically suspends all authorisation or license otherwise granted or extended to The User to connect to The Site and its server resources.

Site Purpose

The Site is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is neither intended as nor implied to be an appropriate substitute for the advice of a qualified health professional.

Personal Use Only

The Provider makes this site available for personal use only and explicitly suspends all authorisation or license which would otherwise have been granted or extended to The User to connect to The Site and its server resources for any purpose related to or connected with the activities of any organisational or corporate entity. The sole exceptions to this limitation to personal use only are the activity of organisations connecting to The Site specifically for the purpose of indexing its content for reference by a search engine or other retrieval system which is free and openly available to members of the public.

Information contained within The Site, including links to material other than that provided on The Site, are offered in good faith for the convenience of The User. However, neither The Provider nor any of their respective employees, agents, or other affiliates, make any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability or content of The Site or of linked sites or as to the individual privacy or data collection policies in force at linked sites.

Limitations of Liability

The Site is provided for educational and informational purposes only and is neither intended nor implied to be an appropriate substitute for the advice of a qualified health professional.

The User expressly agrees that use of The Site is at The User’s sole risk. Neither The Provider nor any of their respective employees, agents, or other affiliates warrant that The Site will be uninterrupted or error free. Nor do they make any warranty as to the accuracy, reliability or content of any information or service provided via The Site.

The Site is provided “as is”, without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including without limitation, any implied warranty of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-violation or non-infringement of rights. In no event will The Provider or any person or entity involved in creating or distributing The Site be liable for any damages, including, without limitation, direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages arising out of the The User’s use or inability to use The Site.

The User agrees to defend, indemnify and hold harmless The Site, The Provider, their affiliates and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents from and against all claims and expenses, including legal fees, arising out of the use of The Site by The User.

Equipment

The User shall be responsible for obtaining and maintaining his or her own hardware, software, other equipment and services needed to use The Site and for all charges related thereto.

Scope

This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter thereof, and supersede all previous written or oral agreements between the parties with respect to such subject matter.

Changes of Terms

The Provider explicitly retains the right to change or modify the terms and conditions applicable to The User’s use of The Site, or to stipulate additional conditions. Any such changes, modifications, additions or deletions shall be effective immediately upon publication on The Site, and any use of The Site subsequent to such publication shall be deemed to constitute acceptance by The User of The Agreement.

In the event of any conflict with policies of The Site or any particular provision of The Agreement, the laws of England and Wales will take precedence over that portion of The Agreement which conflicts with the laws of England and Wales, with the remainder of The Agreement continuing in force. The Agreement itself will be interpreted under the laws of England and Wales.

Section headings used in The Agreement are for convenience only and shall not be given any legal import.

All clinical material on this site is peer reviewed by one or more qualified mental health professionals. This specific article was originally published by on and was last reviewed or updated by Dr Greg Mulhauser, Managing Editor on .

Our material is not intended as a substitute for direct consultation with a qualified mental health professional. Please seek professional advice if you are experiencing any mental health concern.

Copyright © 2002-2023. All Rights Reserved.