The Goldwater rule in psychiatry was created in 1971 by the American Psychiatric Association

American Psychiatric Association

The American Psychiatric Association is the main professional organization of psychiatrists and trainee psychiatrists in the United States, and the most influential worldwide. Its some 38,000 members are mainly American but some are international...

.

Background

It defined a set of requirements for communicating with media outlets about the state of mind

State of Mind

State of mind is a term meaning "mood" or "outlook" . It can also mean:-Music:*State of Mind , New Zealand drum and bass duo*A State of Mind , American punk band*State of Mind , 2003...

 of individuals. Psychiatrists were allowed to comment on mental health

Mental health

Mental health describes either a level of cognitive or emotional well-being or an absence of a mental disorder. From perspectives of the discipline of positive psychology or holism mental health may include an individual's ability to enjoy life and procure a balance between life activities and...

 issues but are forbidden to give a professional opinion about any individual without directly examining that person and getting permission to comment from the patient or other legal guardian

Legal guardian

A legal guardian is a person who has the legal authority to care for the personal and property interests of another person, called a ward. Usually, a person has the status of guardian because the ward is incapable of caring for his or her own interests due to infancy, incapacity, or disability...

. The issue arose when Fact magazine

Fact Magazine

Fact Magazine was an American publication that commented on controversial topics.-History:Edited by Ralph Ginzburg and Warren Boroson, the magazine was notable for having been sued by Barry Goldwater over a 1964 issue entitled "The Unconscious of a Conservative: A special Issue on the Mind of Barry...

 published the article "The Unconscious of a Conservative: A Special Issue on the Mind of Barry Goldwater." The magazine polled psychiatrist

Psychiatrist

A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of mental disorders. All psychiatrists are trained in diagnostic evaluation and in psychotherapy...

s about Barry Goldwater

Barry Goldwater

Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for President in the 1964 election. An articulate and charismatic figure during the first half of the 1960s, he was known as "Mr...

and whether he was fit to be president.