Telepsychiatry in an Era of Digital Mental Health Startups

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Purpose of Review: Telepsychiatry practiced by psychiatrists is evidence-based, regulated, private, and effective in diverse settings. The use of telemedicine has grown since the COVID-19 pandemic as people routinely obtain more healthcare services online. At the same time, there has been a rapid increase in the number of digital mental health startups that offer various services including online therapy and access to prescription medications. These digital mental health firms advertise directly to the consumer primarily through digital advertising. The purpose of this narrative review is to contrast traditional telepsychiatry and the digital mental health market related to online therapy. Recent Findings: In contrast to standard telepsychiatry, most of the digital mental health startups are unregulated, have unproven efficacy, and raise concerns related to self-diagnosis, self-medicating, and inappropriate prescribing. The role of digital mental health firms for people with serious mental illness has not been determined. There are inadequate privacy controls for the digital mental health firms, including for online therapy. We live in an age where there is widespread admiration for technology entrepreneurs and increasing emphasis on the role of the patient as a consumer. Yet, the business practices of digital mental health startups may compromise patient safety for profits. Summary: There is a need to address issues with the digital mental health startups and to educate patients about the differences between standard medical care and digital mental health products.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)263-272
Number of pages10
JournalCurrent Psychiatry Reports
Volume25
Issue number6
Early online date11 May 2023
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2023
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

Scopus 85159304970
ORCID /0000-0002-2666-859X/work/150883547
PubMed 37166622

Keywords

Sustainable Development Goals

Library keywords