Telemental health or Telecounselling is the provision of psychological support and counseling by a therapist via video conference, email, online chat, or phone call. Or the use of telemedicine to provide a mental health diagnosis, assessment, symptoms tracking, and treatment to people with mental disorders and psychiatric problems at a distance. (Hilty et al., 2013)Anxiety and Depression Association of America provide tele mental Health counseling to people living in different countries.
Benefits:
- Telemental Health or Telepsychiatryservicesare less expensive than conventional therapy
- Isolated communities can get easy access to this telehealth
- It provides adaptable solutions to people with mental disorders(Langarizadeh et al., 2017)
- Lessen stigmatization and provide convenience
- Finding a psychotherapist who provides telemental health is easier than finding any other therapist
- Provide flexibility for an appointment.
Telemental health services provided by teleconferencing technology have proved to be clinically superior to low or not at all mental health services. It has proved to be advantageous for patients with a specific group like with Dementia, patients with eating disorders and incarcerated patients than in-person interventions. (Grady et al., 2011) Suicide is the 11th most leading cause of death of people with mental disorders in the US. With the advancement of technology, one can easily get mental health services through mobile video and reduce suicide cases via TMH. (Godleski, Nieves, Darkins, & Lehmann, 2008)
Telemental health is advancing rapidly with 6% of all mobile application of mental health and is an important part of telemedicine and telehealth. (Aboujaoude, Salame, & Naim, 2015) Phobias, Post-traumatic stress disorders, and substance use disorder treatment have remarkable results using Virtual reality Exposure Therapy (VRET). (Aboujaoude et al., 2015)
Right video conferencing platform selection is also important, Thera platform is designed for mental health providers.
Aboujaoude, E., Salame, W., & Naim, L. (2015). Telemental health: a status update. World Psychiatry, 14(2), 223-230.
Godleski, L., Nieves, J. E., Darkins, A., & Lehmann, L. (2008). VA telemental health: Suicide assessment. Behavioral sciences & the law, 26(3), 271-286.
Grady, B., Myers, K. M., Nelson, E.-L., Belz, N., Bennett, L., Carnahan, L., . . . Rosenthal, L. (2011). Evidence-based practice for telemental health. Telemedicine and e-Health, 17(2), 131-148.
Hilty, D. M., Ferrer, D. C., Parish, M. B., Johnston, B., Callahan, E. J., & Yellowlees, P. M. (2013). The effectiveness of telemental health: a 2013 review. Telemedicine journal and e-health: the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association, 19(6), 444-454. DOI: 10.1089/tmj.2013.0075
Langarizadeh, M., Tabatabaei, M. S., Tavakol, K., Naghipour, M., Rostami, A., & Moghbeli, F. (2017). Telemental Health Care, an Effective Alternative to Conventional Mental Care: a Systematic Review. Acta Informatica Medica : AIM: journal of the Society for Medical Informatics of Bosnia & Herzegovina: canopies Drustva za medicinsku informatiku BiH, 25(4), 240-246. doi: 10.5455/aim.2017.25.240-246