Tele-Psychiatry and Post-Pandemic Mental Health Care

The COVID-19 pandemic spurred a broad adoption of tele-medicine. Forced by circumstance at the beginning of the pandemic, patients, providers, policymakers and even financial markets became enthusiastic adopters of healthcare by video appointment. While many specialties have since reverted to in-person care, tele-medicine is likely to prove a lasting change in the field of psychiatry.

Of all medical specialties, psychiatry is best placed to take full advantage of tele-medicine. Unlike most medical specialists, psychiatrists typically don't require an in-person physical exam to diagnose and treat disorders. This allows them and their patients to take full advantage of tele-medicine's benefits.

At Apraku Psychiatry, all appointments take place by secure video. We see five core benefits of this approach for patients:

1. Convenience. Patients can obtain care at a place convenient to them. Forget about a stressful, time-consuming trip - just grab your device and connect to your doctor.
2. Access. Some patients have physical or mental disabilities that make travel problematic. It's a Catch-22: they need care but can't get it, perhaps precisely because of the disorder for which treatment is sought. Patients with acute social anxiety or agoraphobia, for example, may find it particularly difficult to see an in-person doctor. Tele-psychiatry offers them a better way.
3. Privacy. Let's face it - doctors' waiting rooms can sometimes be a little awkward. By contrast, tele-psychiatry visits offer total privacy, and an exclusively one-on-one experience with your doctor.
4. Liquidity. There is a shortage of psychiatrists in the United States, and the few in out-patient practice with availability for new patients are heavily concentrated in big university cities like Boston. This can leave rural communities and even some urban areas without adequate mental health support. With tele-psychiatry, however, geography is no barrier to care - instead, the only limitation is state licensing rules. This is why Apraku Psychiatry makes a special effort to offer services in multiple states.
5. Flexibility. Brick-and-mortar out-patient practices are typically open 9-5, which can be difficult for patients who work similar hours. By contrast, tele-psychiatry makes it easier to offer unconventional times that accommodate hectic work schedules. At Apraku Psychiatry, we offer early morning, evening and even some weekend appointments - check out available times here.

Research confirms that tele-psychiatry is effective and increases access to care. While tele-psychiatry obviously increases access at the population level, some may feel that it is an inferior substitute for in-person treatment. However, recent studies show that there is no compromise: outcomes are comparable to those observed in more traditional settings. The only exception may be patients with acute presentations who require additional support or a higher level of care. To read more about the evidence base for tele-psychiatry, check out peer-reviewed studies such as this, this and this.