What Is Telepsychiatry?

Written by the Able Psychiatry clinical team

Updated September 27, 2026

Telepsychiatry is the delivery of psychiatric care — including psychiatric evaluations, therapy, and medication management — over live video or audio instead of in person. The American Psychiatric Association describes it as “a subset of telemedicine” that can cover a full range of psychiatric services remotely.

Key takeaways

• The APA states that “telepsychiatry is equivalent to in-person care in diagnostic accuracy, treatment effectiveness, quality of care and patient satisfaction.”
• Telepsychiatry has been “found especially effective with respect to the treatment of PTSD, depression, and ADHD,” per the APA.
• Providers generally must be licensed in the state where the patient is physically located at the time of the visit, not just where the provider is based.
• The American Telemedicine Association’s Telemental Health Special Interest Group states its purpose as working “to expand equitable, quality mental health treatment-anywhere, anytime, any way.”

How telepsychiatry works

A telepsychiatry visit uses the same clinical process as an in-person one — an evaluation, an interview, and either therapy or medication management — delivered through a secure video connection, or by phone when video isn’t practical. The APA describes the underlying technology broadly: “mental health care can be delivered through live, interactive communication, including video or audio-only care,” and can also involve securely sending recorded information such as images to a clinician.

Licensure follows the patient, not the provider. Per the APA, “psychiatrists and other clinicians need to be licensed in the state(s) where the patient is located,” because state licensing boards treat the patient’s location as where the practice of medicine occurs. HHS’s guidance says the same about licensure, and on prescribing it says “authorized providers may be able to prescribe via telehealth if they meet certain criteria,” but “providers must comply with federal law, state laws where they are licensed, and state laws where the patient is located.” Ask your prescriber which rules apply to your medicines at the time of your visit.

Types of telepsychiatry

• Live video visits: real-time, interactive video calls.
• Audio-only visits: phone-based care, used when video isn’t available or practical — the APA includes “audio-only care” alongside video as a valid way to deliver mental health care remotely.
• Individual and group teletherapy: HHS separates individual teletherapy, in which providers “use online and digital health tools to deliver one-on-one therapy,” from group therapy, which “involves a small number of people who meet together with one or more behavioral health therapists.”
• Store-and-forward: securely sending recorded information, such as images, to a clinician for review outside of a live visit, per the APA.

Example: where telepsychiatry has shown effectiveness

The APA reports that telepsychiatry has been “found especially effective with respect to the treatment of PTSD, depression, and ADHD.” Federal guidance points the same way: HHS says telehealth “has played a major role in meeting the need for behavioral health services, including for those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and opioid use disorder.”

What people get wrong

People sometimes assume a video visit is a lesser substitute for “real” psychiatric care. The evidence the APA cites says otherwise: it describes telepsychiatry as equivalent to in-person care on diagnostic accuracy, treatment effectiveness, and patient satisfaction. The more common practical catch isn’t quality — it’s licensing. A clinician has to be licensed in whatever state the patient is physically sitting in during the visit, which is why telepsychiatry across state lines is more limited than people expect.

Telepsychiatry vs. online therapy

	Telepsychiatry	Online therapy
Who provides it	A psychiatrist or other prescriber	A therapist, counselor, or psychologist
What it can include	Evaluations, therapy, and medication management, per the APA’s definition	Talk-based therapy, without prescribing
Can it prescribe medication?	Yes, subject to state licensure and federal rules on controlled substances	No
Modality	Live video or audio, per the APA	Typically live video or messaging

The two overlap heavily in how they’re delivered; the difference is mainly in who’s on the clinician’s side of the screen and whether medication is part of the visit. For the broader distinction, see psychiatrist vs. therapist.

Frequently asked questions

Is telepsychiatry as effective as in-person psychiatric care?
The APA states that telepsychiatry “is equivalent to in-person care in diagnostic accuracy, treatment effectiveness, quality of care and patient satisfaction,” based on the evidence it reviewed.

What do I need for a telepsychiatry visit?
A private space and a device for video, or a phone for an audio-only visit — the APA describes both video and audio-only formats as valid ways to deliver care.

Can a telepsychiatrist prescribe medication?
Often, yes. HHS says authorized providers “may be able to prescribe via telehealth if they meet certain criteria,” and they must follow federal law and the laws of the states involved. Ask your prescriber what currently applies to your medication.

Does my psychiatrist need to be licensed in my state?
Yes. Licensing is based on where the patient is physically located during the visit, not where the clinician is based, so an out-of-state telepsychiatry visit isn’t always possible.

Able Psychiatry offers telepsychiatry to patients throughout Illinois in addition to in-person appointments at its Chicago office, with video visits joined through Zoom.

The bottom line

Telepsychiatry delivers the same evaluations, therapy, and medication management as an in-person psychiatric visit, over live video or audio. The evidence the APA cites shows it holds up against in-person care on accuracy, effectiveness, and satisfaction — the real-world limiting factor is usually state licensing, not quality of care.

Sources

• Telepsychiatry, American Psychiatric Association (physician-reviewed August 2026)
• Telehealth for Behavioral Health Care, Telehealth.HHS.gov, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
• Licensure for Behavioral Health, Telehealth.HHS.gov (last updated April 30, 2025)
• Telemental Health Special Interest Group, American Telemedicine Association

Related terms

• Medication management
• Psychiatric evaluation
• Psychiatric intake appointment
• Board-certified psychiatrist
• Psychiatric nurse practitioner
• Psychiatric physician assistant
• Psychiatrist vs. therapist

Prefer a video visit? Schedule a telepsychiatry appointment at Able Psychiatry.