Telemedicine firms are adding mental health services to their remits as another way of providing convenient and cost-effective consultations to their customers. Companies including MDLive, Teladoc and American Well are now offering access to psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists via computer, smartphone and tablet. The rise in the number of people seeking help for depression is partly due to a growing awareness among patients that they can get better by talking about it. Meanwhile, who have completed “more than 1 million asynchronous texting sessions per quarter,” the company said. This month, American Well is launching a new "telepsychiatry" service, designed to bridge the gap between growing demand for mental health services and a national shortage of psychologists and psychiatrists. The growth of telemedicine coincides with an increase in reimbursements by insurance companies for online healthcare services, including "telemental" health.
Telemedicine firms are adding mental health services to their remits as another way of providing convenient and cost-effective consultations to their customers. Companies including MDLive, Teladoc and American Well are now offering access to psychologists, psychiatrists and therapists via computer, smartphone and tablet. The rise in the number of people seeking help for depression is partly due to a growing awareness among patients that they can get better by talking about it. This month, American Well is launching a new "telepsychiatry" service, designed to bridge the gap between growing demand for mental health services and a national shortage of psychologists and psychiatrists. The growth of telemedicine coincides with an increase in reimbursements by insurance companies for online healthcare services, including "telemental" health.