Making access to in-person therapy even more challenging, there’s a growing psychiatrist shortage in the U.S., affecting over 150 million Americans. The nearest psychiatrist may be miles away in the next city or have a long waitlist.
Luckily, lengthy wait times and therapist shortages are no longer barriers to mental health thanks to online therapy platforms. With a few clicks of a button, you can leverage technology and schedule a virtual appointment with a licensed psychiatrist within a few days. Online psychiatry lets you skip the waiting list, eliminate travel time, and jumpstart your journey to mental wellness quickly and conveniently.
Here, we’ll detail how to choose the best online psychiatrist for your needs and what to expect in a session.
Understanding Online Psychiatry
Also known as telepsychiatry or virtual psychiatry, online psychiatry allows you remote access to a certified psychiatrist. Telepsychiatry harnesses technology such as video calls to connect clients with licensed psychiatrists. It has all the trimmings of in-person psychiatry, except it’s delivered over the Internet to increase accessibility.
The American Psychiatric Association estimates there are 45,000 licensed psychiatrists, pointing to a crippling shortage, despite concerted efforts to bridge the gap. Among U.S. counties, 77% have a severe lack of mental health providers, forcing patients to wait months when scheduling an appointment.
Telepsychiatry helps bridge the gap in psychiatric care by eliminating geographic limitations. It broadens your horizon and grows your options by empowering you to connect with a psychiatrist in a different city with free calendar slots.
How Does Online Psychiatry Work?
Like other forms of telemedicine, online psychiatry leverages modern technology to connect clients to licensed psychiatrists or nurse practitioners. Telepsychiatry is typically powered by online therapy platforms such as Grow Therapy, which maintains a network of licensed mental health professionals who accept clients virtually in the state or state they’re licensed.
To partake in online psychiatry, prospective clients must sign up on the platform and choose a psychiatrist that fits their needs and preferences. You may then book an initial session where a clinician will evaluate your mental health concerns, take your medical history, and recommend treatment. If you need medication to manage your mental illness, your psychiatrist may prescribe psychiatric medication such as benzodiazepines or antidepressants.
Is Online Psychiatry Effective?
While in-person interactions have long been the corner of psychiatric care, telepsychiatry can be a valuable and accessible option for delivering mental health care and support. Recent studies suggest that online interventions can provide positive outcomes when treating mental health illnesses, including:
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Anxiety disorder
- Eating disorders
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Schizophrenia
- Substance abuse
- Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
The success of the therapy can be attributed to live video messaging facilitating face-to-face interaction between mental health professionals and their clients. Typically, psychiatrists rely on a combination of their extensive training, client responses, and non-verbal cues when providing mental health treatment. They use client responses to understand their perspective, identify symptoms, and assess the severity of their conditions.
Visual cues such as body language, facial expressions, and demeanor provide additional information not explicitly communicated. This comprehensive approach allows for a thorough assessment, diagnosis, and ongoing management of mental health treatment.
The interaction allows for collaborative decision-making, where the psychiatrist accounts for the client’s needs and preferences when formulating a treatment plan. Depending on the client’s behavioral health needs, the treatment plan may include talk therapy, lifestyle modification, medication, or a combination of approaches.
Regular, face-to-face interaction allows the psychiatrist to monitor and evaluate a client’s response to prescribed medication. A clinician can monitor potential side effects, assess their efficacy, and help with medication management.
Who Should Use Online Psychiatry?
Online psychiatry is as effective as in-person therapy since live video conferencing enables a licensed therapist to conduct a thorough assessment when prescribing treatment. While both modalities lead to positive therapy outcomes, telepsychiatry offers unique benefits. While everyone can use this form of therapy, it’s especially beneficial for people who:
- Value convenience or maintain a busy schedule
- Need affordable therapy services
- Live in rural or underserved areas
- Live in large metropolitans where psychiatrists maintain lengthy wait lists
- Live in high-cost cities with high therapy charges
Telepsychiatry increases accessibility for everyone who needs psychiatric help, allowing you to seek therapy without disrupting your life or routine.
Benefits of Online Psychiatry
Online psychiatry is an attractive and practical option for receiving mental healthcare. It eliminates many traditional barriers that drive the reluctance to seek mental healthcare. Virtual psychiatry offers numerous benefits, including:
- Accessibility: It breaks down geographical barriers to make mental healthcare available to people with limited or no access to a qualified professional.
- Convenience: Online psychiatry eliminates the typical time constraints associated with in-person therapy. You can schedule a session and connect with your psychotherapist without disrupting your daily routine.
- Confidentiality: Online therapy is discrete and allows you to seek professional help without involving anyone else if you don’t wish to. As long as you’re a legal adult and can afford to pay for the service, you don’t need anyone’s approval to seek professional help.
- Reduced stigma: Telepsychiatry offers privacy and anonymity that may help reduce the stigma of seeking psychiatric help.
- Flexible scheduling: Online psychiatry gives you flexibility when scheduling appointments, increasing the likelihood of adhering to the treatment plan.
- Anonymity and privacy: Virtual therapy offers a higher level of privacy and anonymity that some people find comforting. This may encourage people who may not otherwise attend talk therapy to partake in treatment and improve their mental health.
- Wide range of specialists: Therapy platforms have access to a diverse pool of licensed psychiatrists with different specialties. Working with a specialist can accelerate your progress and help you achieve good therapy outcomes quickly.
- Covered by insurance: Rather than having to call therapists offices to ask about insurance coverage, platforms like Grow Therapy allow you to filter your results by online psychiatrists who accept your insurance plan. This will help make the cost more affordable.
Online psychiatry covered by insurance
While effective, virtual therapy may not be suitable for everyone. Some mental health conditions may require more intensive options and are better served by in-person care. Speak to a mental health professional to determine the best type of treatment for you.
What to Expect From Online Psychiatric Services
When seeking mental health support, online psychiatric services can be a positive and transformative experience. However, knowing what to expect when signing up for the services is helpful and allows you to make the most of your virtual mental health journey.
Reputable online therapy platforms adhere to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations. They conform to the same confidentiality and privacy standards when visiting a psychiatrist’s office.
Such platforms use secure and encrypted communication channels to ensure all therapist and patient interactions are safe from unauthorized access. They use end-to-end encryption to ensure your therapy session is only accessible to the intended participants. Platform administrators cannot access your data because the files are heavily encrypted and stored securely.
The delivery modality is the main difference between online and in-person therapy. Your psychotherapist will follow the standard mental healthcare protocols, including confidentiality, empathy, positive alliance, and nonjudgement.
How to Choose an Online Psychiatry Service
When conducting your search for an online psychiatrist, it’ll be most helpful to use a platform with filter options to let you narrow down your selection to suit your needs. Keep these considerations in mind:
- Identify your specific needs: Identifying your needs can help you pick a specialist from the start.
- Check psychiatrist profiles: A reputable therapy platform, like Grow Therapy, will have a diverse selection of psychiatrists with various specializations.
- Check availability and scheduling: A therapy platform should indicate a therapist’s availability and schedules to help you plan attendance. Most providers with Grow Therapy are available within as little as two days, assuring you get the care you need promptly.
- Assess communication channels: Therapy platforms feature in-built communication channels, including video, voice calls, texts, and emails.
- Verify insurance coverage: Check with your insurance before booking a sessions if you plan on using your health plan to cover the cost of therapy.
How to Evaluate an Online Psychiatrist
Online psychiatry increases your options, so you never have to settle for the first psychiatrist with an open slot. You can be as picky as you wish when choosing an online psychiatrist to ensure a perfect match.
- Credentials: Google their names and see what comes up, including membership, associations, personal websites, and affiliations. Online psychiatrist platforms often provide detailed practitioner biographies, cutting down on some of the extra work for you. Any provider you find through Grow Therapy has the appropriate credentials that have been verified.
- Session length: Telepsychiatry sessions may be anywhere from 15 to 60 minutes. Assess your needs and pick a service that matches your care needs.
- Professionalism: An excellent online psychiatrist should be respectful, attentive, and responsive to your needs.
- Insurance: Always check if an online psychiatrist accepts insurance, as many independent practices don’t accept insurance plans. This is where going through a platform like Grow Therapy is useful. Insurance filters let you browse only providers who accept your plan.
Your primary care physician can provide additional guidance or referral to help you get psychiatric care that aligns with your healthcare plan.
Get Started with Online Psychiatry Today
Online psychiatry services can help you overcome geographical limitations and schedule a session with a board-certified psychiatrist within two days or less. Telepsychiatry reduces the search for a qualified psychotherapist to a few clicks of a button and lets you access mental health specialists at your convenience.
Make your search simple with Grow Therapy, which gives you access to a network of more than 3,500 therapists across 46 states. Our licensed psychotherapists offer hour-long sessions at affordable rates and accept insurance.
