Telepsychiatry: An Electronic Alternative

One of the major issues facing the patient population in the United States is the problem of effective and timely mental health care. The core of this issue is that patients are unable to see a mental health provider in a timely manner to be screened for psychiatric illness, be competently diagnosed and subsequently treated in an evidence-based manner. In a bid to mitigate this issue, the field of telepsychiatry has slowly evolved in the last couple of decades into a system which allows face-to-face quality psychiatric assessment, diagnosis and treatment modalities delivered through electronic mediums, primarily video-teleconferencing. This electronic, cost effective mechanism allows access to a mental health provider in a timely manner, enhancing psychiatric care due to early intervention and follow-up, leading to positive outcomes. There is a dire need for mental health providers to be taught the skills required to evaluate patients who are not geographically present in their vicinity due to various circumstances and the optimal ways to assess their mental health conditions. There is a need for clinicians to learn this new and evolving technology and gain expertise to identify underlying emotional issues via technological means and help patients in achieving positive mental health outcomes.