Telepsychiatry: Applications, Progress and New Initiatives

Telepsychiatry is the use of telecommunications in remote assessing and treating psychiatric patients. This paper introduces the applications and progress of telepsychiatry in clinics, hospital emergency rooms, home-based assessment and treatment, and medical services for students. The applications of computer game and virtual reality in telepsychiatry is also presented. New initiatives of implementing telepsychiatry in the Mississippi Delta, USA is proposed and discussed. The new initiatives cover telepsychiatry services in mental health clinics, hospital emergency departments, tele-monitoring at home, and junior/senior high schools.