Psychiatry has many goals, and it’s only getting more efficient at achieving those goals as research progresses. Online psychiatry services are becoming more and more prevalent, and in these uncertain times, they may be your best bet for meeting your mental health goals.
Benefits of Online Psychiatry
1. Ease of Access
Online services are without a doubt much easier to access than in-person services of any type. This is especially true of psychiatry. Things that were once deal-breakers—long commutes, inclement weather, physical disability, or unexpected travel plans—are all much easier to work around with online psychiatry services. If you’re out of town for a month on business, you don’t need to reschedule with your psychiatrist. Access to an internet connection and a video enabled phone, tablet, or computer is all you need. If you don’t have a car, getting to an appointment can be a difficult and time-consuming stress that you just don’t need. With online psychiatry, you aren’t stranded at home without any help. Finding treatment for your anxiety, depression, ADHD, trauma recovery, or identity issues is not only possible, it’s easy with the advent of online psychiatry.
2. Help Comes Quicker
One thing that sets psychiatry apart from traditional talk therapy is that psychiatrists can prescribe medications. A psychiatrist assesses your mental health using their expertise in the field and can use the knowledge gained from online sessions to make recommendations for the right medication. It’s much easier logistically speaking, for everyone involved, to schedule and complete an online psychiatry session. Simply hop onto your computer or phone and you’re talking to your psychiatrist. Instead of a waiting room, you’re in the comfort of your own home. Online appointments are easier to schedule and can be conducted with much more flexible hours. A psychiatrist doesn’t need to be in their office to provide psychiatric evaluation to their online patients. Due to COVID-19, restrictions on the prescription of controlled substances have lessened. Psychiatrists are able to prescribe drugs like Adderall for ADHD, Xanax for anxiety, and depression, and Ambien for insomnia and other sleep disorders. Rather than having to head into the office for a prescription drug that you need, it can now be sent to your pharmacy following an online psychiatry session.
3. Personal and Emotional Safety
Does your anxiety keep you from considering in-person psychiatry services? It’s much easier for many socially anxious people to interact with a psychiatrist online. You may feel far less pressure talking about your problems when you aren’t in the same room as another person. Your emotional safety doesn’t need to be compromised when you’re looking for psychiatric help. Nor does your physical safety and the anxiety that may surround that. COVID-19 has changed a lot about how we see the world and interact with it. If you’re not willing to go into public spaces because you’re immunocompromised or have loved ones who are more susceptible to COVID-19, you don’t have to anymore. Online psychiatry can give you the peace of mind that you’re keeping yourself safe from possible infection.
For some people, online psychiatry cannot replace in-person sessions. But if these unique perks of online psychiatry sound appealing to you, you’re likely a great candidate for giving it a try. Psychiatry is a powerful tool in treating mental illness, and being able to access it from anywhere is not something we should take for granted. Whether you think it’s right for you or not, setting up an online consultation is a breeze.
Online psychiatry is a very effective way of treating a number of mental health concerns, and you should seriously consider it now more than ever. If you’re ready to give it a try, give us a call at SOL Mental Health today.
