So here we are, 14 years later after Psych Central first went online in 1995. And what a great 14 years it’s been! If you had asked me 14 years ago, “Hey, John, will this little dinky mental health website still be around 14 years from now?” I would’ve guessed “No.” Of course, I would’ve been happily wrong.

The latest stats out from Media Metrix/Comscore shows that Psych Central reaches as many people each month as the British Medical Journal, the famed Mayo Clinic, and even our friends over at the American Psychological Association. But we’re not stopping — we’re experiencing one of the best growth rates for sites in our niche — mental health & psychology — and will continue to provide you with an interesting and original collection of news, research summaries, personal stories and insights into grappling with a mental health issue, and expanding our blog network. We add to our renowned mental health library every week, expanding upon our unequaled, original in-depth articles and content.

Psych Central is made possible not through some mega-corp or venture capital firm (sorry, we’re not interested!), but through incredible bootstrapping and grassroots efforts on behalf of dozens of contributors, professionals, editors, and volunteers. It is, first and foremost, a labor of love and dedication. We all do it because we believe that education and information combats stigma and misinformation far better than any marketing campaign or celebrity spokesperson (although if Britney volunteers, I don’t think we’d turn her down! ).

We’ve been hosting a week-long celebration of 14 years in our online community, which is quickly approaching 1 million posts from its 75,000+ members (and over 90,000, if you include our sister community NeuroTalk). You can join in on the celebration by registering to become a member (free!) and voting for your favorite inspiring image that captures the heart of Psych Central and your favorite poem or prose about what Psych Central means to our members.

Thank you all for a wonderful, heart-touching 14 years of service. We hope to be here for another 14 years, doing all of the great things we have planned. We hope you’ll join us (and share us with your friends!).

Dr. John Grohol is the CEO and founder of Psych Central. He is an author, researcher and expert in mental health online, and has been writing about online behavior, mental health and psychology issues -- as well as the intersection of technology and human behavior -- since 1992. Dr. Grohol sits on the editorial board of the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking and is a founding board member and treasurer of the Society for Participatory Medicine.

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    Last reviewed: By John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on 20 Apr 2009
    Published on PsychCentral.com. All rights reserved.