Telepsychiatry and Telepsychotherapy: Critical Issues Faced by Indian Patients and Psychiatrists

Avinash De Sousa; Amresh Shrivastava; Bhumika Shah

doi:10.1177/0253717620960407

Telepsychiatry and Telepsychotherapy: Critical Issues Faced by Indian Patients and Psychiatrists

Indian J Psychol Med. 2020 Oct 6;42(5 Suppl):74S-80S. doi: 10.1177/0253717620960407. eCollection 2020 Oct.

Authors

Avinash De Sousa^{1

2}, Amresh Shrivastava³, Bhumika Shah¹

Affiliations

¹ De Sousa Foundation, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
² Dept. of Psychiatry, Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
³ University of Western Ontario, London, ON, Canada.

Abstract

Telepsychiatry and telepsychotherapy are new treatment modalities that have been used more than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are many challenges that are faced with the use of this modality for both patients and psychiatrists alike. There are critical issues faced with regard to the development of rapport, managing the entire teleconsultation set up, privacy and issues related to fees, issues related to prescribing and monitoring, and issues while handling emergencies. The challenges faced are discussed and some solutions if possible are laid out.

Keywords: Telepsychiatry; patients; psychiatrists; telepsychotherapy.