Achtyes ED, Glenn T, Monteith S, et al. Telepsychiatry in an Era of Digital Mental Health Startups. Curr Psychiatry Rep. Jun 2023;25(6):263-272. doi:10.1007/s11920-023-01425-9
This review provides an overview of some differences between telepsychiatry as practiced by psychiatrists and online therapy provided by private digital mental health companies. The article raises concerns about self-diagnosis, privacy, and medication when individuals use online therapy provided by digital mental health firms. The article repeatedly emphasizes that telepsychiatry is standard medicine, including proper differential diagnosis, empirically backed practices, HIPAA regulations, medication prescription and adherence monitoring, and outcome evaluation. In contrast, online therapy provided by digital mental health firms often relies on self-diagnosis and symptom checkers, which can color experiences when users eventually converse with a therapist. The prevalence of symptom and diagnosis misinformation on social media platforms, especially TikTok, can lead to inaccurate diagnoses or delays in seeking face-to-face treatment. The authors also emphasize that there are no regulatory standards for for-profit, direct-to-consumer online mental health companies. Beyond a general lack of empirical basis for diagnoses and treatment models, these companies are not regulated by HIPAA and often sell consumer data, including individually identifying personal information. The authors also offer caution around online platforms that allow for self-medication. While not all platforms allow for access to prescription medications, there is concern that platforms that do have both overmedicated and medicated without a thorough diagnosis and assessment of alternate options. Overall, increased patient education about the differences between standard care and private digital health firms is needed as this field expands.