Page 1 of 7 Telepsychiatry: An Electronic Alternative Shinu Kuriakose* Department of Physician Assistant Studies, USA Introduction One of the major issues facing the patient population in the United States (US) is the problem of effective and timely mental health care. As we have, unfortunately, seen in the last few decades, there have been a myriad of socially devastating events occurring in our schools, workplaces, campuses, and other public areas where individuals are harming their fellow humans, and it all boils down to the perpetrators being mentally ill and thus hurting others. It is estimated that 26.2% of Americans over the age of 18 meet the criteria for a psychiatric disorder with 6% of this population being classified as severely mentally ill, a condition affecting their quality of life [1]. The core of this issue is that these folks were unable to see a mental health provider in a timely manner to be screened for psychiatric illness, be competently diagnosed, and subsequently treated in an evidence-based manner [2]. Approximately 56% of adults in the United States with mental health maladies have been unable to receive treatment in a timely manner with certain states only having one psychiatric provider per 1,000 individuals [1]. Additionally, 8.47% of the US population suffers from alcohol and/ or drug dependence without access to timely and effective care [1]. Often, we hear stories from their family members that these patients have been progressively decompensating for a relatively long period (weeks to even years) and were unable to be seen by a psychiatric provider due to lack of clinicians in the area; financial cost of seeing providers, which the patients could not overcome; and the fact that this discrepancy has also led to a supply and demand problem: providers only seeing patients who pay cash and not accepting private and public insurance because the cash pay for service is so much more lucrative [2]. This psychiatric problem in the US has engulfed this country into a crisis in the mental health field, an issue, which not only deals with internal family problems in having patients see providers in a cost-effective timely manner, but also external disparities about having mental health providers be accessible within a reasonable geographical distance. This mental health crisis has also been exacerbated by the decrease in the number of psychiatrists from 37,968 to 37,889 which is a 10.2% reduction in the amount of psychiatrists per 100,000 people from 2003-2013 [2]. Additionally, the stigma associated with societal judgment regarding a patient receiving psychiatric care has influenced patients, including war veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in seeking care [3]. Moreover, families are also reluctant to encourage their loved ones from accessing much needed mental health *Corresponding author: Shinu Kuriakose, Department of Physician Assistant Studies, USA. Received Date: September 27, 2019 Published Date: October 30, 2019 ISSN: 2694-1767 DOI: 10.33552/WJYPR.2019.01.000518 World Journal of Yoga, Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Research Article Copyright © All rights are reserved by Shinu Kuriakose This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License WJYPR.MS.ID.000518. Abstract One of the major issues facing the patient population in the United States is the problem of effective and timely mental health care. The core of this issue is that patients are unable to see a mental health provider in a timely manner to be screened for psychiatric illness, be competently diagnosed and subsequently treated in an evidence-based manner. In a bid to mitigate this issue, the field of telepsychiatry has slowly evolved in the last couple of decades into a system which allows face-to-face quality psychiatric assessment, diagnosis and treatment modalities delivered through electronic mediums, primarily video-teleconferencing. This electronic, cost effective mechanism allows access to a mental health provider in a timely manner, enhancing psychiatric care due to early intervention and follow-up, leading to positive outcomes. There is a dire need for mental health providers to be taught the skills required to evaluate patients who are not geographically present in their vicinity due to various circumstances and the optimal ways to assess their mental health conditions. There is a need for clinicians to learn this new and evolving technology and gain expertise to identify underlying emotional issues via technological means and help patients in achieving positive mental health outcomes. Keywords: Psychiatry; Telepsychiatry; Electronic diagnosis; Mental health challenges; Positive psychiatric outcomes; Telepsychiatry challenges