Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Responsibility for the analysis, accuracy, and interpretation of the data is entirely that of the authors and not the National Library of Medicine. Address correspondence to:, Rashid L. Problem and Objective: This research derives from the confluence of several factors, namely, the prevalence of a complex array of mental health issues across age, social, ethnic, and economic groups, an increasingly critical shortage of mental health professionals and the associated disability and productivity loss in the population, and the potential of telemental health TMH to ameliorate these problems.
Definitive information regarding the true merit of telemedicine applications and intervention is now of paramount importance among policymakers, providers of care, researchers, payers, program developers, and the public at large.
This is necessary for rational policymaking, prudent resource allocation decisions, and informed strategic planning. Materials and Methods: We started by casting a wide net to identify the relevant studies and to examine in detail the content of studies that met the eligibility criteria for inclusion. Only studies that met rigorous methodological criteria were included. Necessary details include the specific nature and content of the intervention, the research methodology, clinical focus, technological configuration, and the modality of the intervention.
Results: The published scientific literature on TMH reveals strong and consistent evidence of the feasibility of this modality of care and its acceptance by its intended users, as well as uniform indication of improvement in symptomology and quality of life among patients across a broad range of demographic and diagnostic groups.
Similarly, positive trends are shown in terms of cost savings. Conclusion: There is substantial empirical evidence for supporting the use of telemedicine interventions in patients with mental disorders. This article focuses on the role of telemedicine interventions in mental health disorders, a major problem affecting over million people worldwide, including over 60 million adults and 7 million children and adolescents in the United States.
