Virtual Psychiatry

Telepsychiatry is like in-person psychiatry—patients talk directly to a psychiatrist who can prescribe medication for mental health conditions—except it’s all done online. Many services use video calls to facilitate treatment for care seekers, and often incorporate care through desktop and laptop computers, tablets, mobile apps and text messaging.

Psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in mental, behavioral and emotional disorders, and are able to prescribe medication.

While exploration on the impact of telepsychiatry is ongoing, current research suggests it may have a positive effect on patients: “In all of the studies noted, satisfaction (when measured) was either equivalent to face-to-face or significantly higher for all of the groups that included tele video as the intervention,” according to a systematic review of 14 studies on telepsychiatry treatment for major depressive disorder in Community Mental Health Journal[1]. “Psychiatry appears particularly well-suited to this model, as an assessment consists mainly of speaking with and laying eyes on the patient.”