What is Telepsychiatry?

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Telemedicine is the process of providing health care from a distance through technology, often using videoconferencing. Telepsychiatry, a subset of telemedicine, can involve providing a range of services including psychiatric evaluations, therapy (individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy), patient education and medication management. Telepsychiatry can involve direct interaction between you mental health provider and the patient. Mental health care can be delivered in a live, interactive communication.

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Benefits of Telepsychiatry

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Video-based telepsychiatry helps meet patients’ needs for convenient, affordable and readily-accessible mental health services. It can benefit patients in a number of ways, such as:

• Improve access to mental health specialty care that might not otherwise be available (e.g., in rural areas)

• Bring care to the patient’s location

• Help integrate behavioral health care and primary care, leading to better outcomes

• Reduce the need for trips to the emergency room

• Reduce delays in care

• Improve continuity of care and follow-up

• Reduce the need for time off work, childcare services, etc. to access appointments far away

• Reduce potential transportation barriers, such as lack of transportation or the need for long drives

• Reduce the barrier of stigma