A Complete Guide to Telepsychiatry
There are a lot of individuals in need of professional help. But due to high costs, inaccessibility, and other factors, they may find it difficult to receive proper mental healthcare. This is even more prevalent in India, where about 70 to 90 percent of individuals aren't able to access the mental healthcare treatments that they need. However, many healthcare professionals are becoming hopeful as telepsychiatry is becoming widely available in the country, starting with the SCARF service in 2010. So if you’re interested in telepsychiatry, here’s a rundown of what it has to offer.
How Does Telepsychiatry Work?
Traditionally, patients have to sign up for clinical consultations and travel to hospitals to get help from psychiatrists. But with telepsychiatry, patients can communicate with psychiatrists using their devices! Through this practice, patients can connect with mental health professionals who are non-judgmental and non-biased in how they attend to different cases. Thus, individuals have easier access to safe and nurturing spaces where they can explore their emotions and work towards recovery.
If you think telepsychiatry services will be of help to you, you can get started by choosing a provider. Multiple applications can connect you to a licensed professional. Just remember to consider the price range and features before signing up. Alternatively, you can reach out to a psychiatrist you know to ask if they offer telepsychiatry services. Once you've chosen a provider, you can set up an appointment for an online consultation. This can be done through chat, an audio call, or a video call, depending on what you're most comfortable with. Through these consultations, your psychiatrist can create treatment plans, provide medication, and even refer you to other services.
What is the Difference Between Telepsychiatry and Teletherapy?
Telepsychiatry and teletherapy are often mistaken as being the same thing. However, there are distinct differences between these two medical services. Most notably, they're facilitated by different professionals.
To illustrate, telepsychiatry services are led by psychiatrists. They're medical doctors that specialize in mental health illnesses. To become a licensed psychiatrist, one must complete a medical school degree. Following that, they need to obtain a medical license and undergo four years of residency in psychiatry. After acquiring these qualifications, licensed psychiatrists can then diagnose mental health conditions and prescribe medicines to help control related symptoms.
On the other hand, teletherapy services are led by psychologists. These mental health professionals need to complete a bachelor’s degree in psychology, then undergo specialized training to become licensed psychologists. By doing so, they learn the nuances of the biological, social, and clinical aspects of human behavior. Consequently, they gain an understanding of the human psyche, relationship dynamics, and of course, mental health. After finishing their education, psychologists can then assist their patients through talk therapy. Unlike psychiatrists, psychologists aren’t actually allowed to prescribe medication. They primarily offer counseling services to help you recover from mental health illnesses.
What are the Benefits of Telepsychiatry?
Despite only recently becoming a mainstream healthcare practice, telepsychiatry is an effective tool. In fact, it offers the following benefits to its users:
1. Flexible consultation options
Telepsychiatry services offer plenty of flexibility for both the patient and their mental health professional. Appointments and consultations can be set quickly through messaging applications or in-app scheduling features. Additionally, you won’t experience a lot of disruptions to your schedule as you only have to open your device and connect to the platform for the appointment. This saves a lot of time that would, otherwise, be used for traveling and idling.
2. Accessible services
Another great advantage of telepsychiatry is that patients can access it from anywhere. This is very advantageous, since India has a shortage of psychiatrists. The country is barely meeting the recommended level of at least 3 psychiatrists per 100,000 individuals. Through telepsychiatry services, however, Indians can get in touch with qualified psychiatrists from various locations.
3. More comfortable sessions
Due to the taboo of mental illness in India, a significant number of individuals aren't able to properly identify and address their condition. However, people can slowly overcome the taboo through telepsychiatry. This service allows you to text, call, or video chat with your provider, based on your comfort level, making it easier to seek professional help and to open up regarding your concerns.
What are the Limitations of Telepsychiatry?
Telepsychiatry bridges significant gaps when it comes to mental healthcare. However, it is worth noting that there are limitations to this relatively new practice.
1. Possible Threats to Cybersecurity
Telepsychiatry services are offered on different apps with varying security levels. But due to the increasing cases of cybercrime, these programs need to have consistent quality control protocols and data privacy regulations. These services need to be free from any bugs, ransomware, and other threats to user privacy. Thus, quality control protocols are critical as users will be sharing personal information and experiences on the telepsychiatry platform. As a patient, you need to choose platforms with security features, like encryption, to ensure that your private data and medical information are secure.
2. Limited Room for Trust and Rapport
Some services allow you to contact psychiatrists through texts or calls. However, this method may make it difficult for psychiatrists to establish trust and rapport with their patients. Texts and calls cannot convey the facial expressions, body language, and gestures that each party may be expressing. Since you cannot witness each other’s non-verbal communication cues, your conversations may lead to misunderstandings and confusion. This can make it harder for you to open up and trust your provider.
3. Diverse Licensure and Practice Regulations
Each region and country has its licensure and practice regulations when it comes to medical professionals. These regulations may come into conflict, especially if you’re seeking telepsychiatry services from a doctor in another geographical region. To avoid this, you need to verify the psychiatrist’s license and check if they’re allowed to diagnose or treat you. Furthermore, this extra step will also help you find out if the providers had any lawsuits or issues that may indicate malpractice.
Telepsychiatry is a much-needed healthcare service in India. This great innovation can help a significant number of Indians who aren't able to get the professional help that they need and deserve.
By Kailyn Leland
About the author: Kailyn Leland is a consultant, full-time mom, and an aspiring writer. She believes that mental health is something that should be taken seriously in all facets of life and writes to promote this.