What is the best place to get online psychiatry? Everyone struggles with stress, anxiety, or depression sometimes, but you don't have to struggle alone. If you've been feeling down or like your brain is in a bit of a spiral, you're not the only one. Studies show that individuals in the US are experiencing stress from all sorts of sources.
Best Option
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Sesame is a healthcare marketplace that makes it easy to find online psychiatry appointments that are budget-friendly. You can browse through dozens of specialists and secure both online appointments and in-person bookings, too. The site is free to use, and the optional membership will give you a $10 discount on every appointment. With a generous refund policy, rave reviews from previous patients, and affordable appointments, Sesame easily earns 5 stars and top spot in our review.
Very Good
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Talkspace is a great service if you're looking for support that feels personalized and has top-notch reviews for being a caring platform for mental health. This online psychiatry site offers sessions through text, audio, and video, and you can get discounts if you bundle multiple sessions together. While prices are still a bit higher than our top pick, the high ratings from previous patients show that Talkspace can be worth the cost (especially if you have insurance). For these reasons, it earns a high score from us.
Good
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Cerebral focuses on providing online psychiatry services like medication through its 3-month plans. While the service is more budget-friendly for medication in particular, it doesn't have as many features for psychiatry as other sites in our review. Plus, we ran into some glitches on the website that made it harder to finish signing up. It's a solid choice if you have a diagnosis already and need fast access to medication, but the non-refundable plans aren't as customer-friendly as they could be, earning Cerebral an above-average-but-not-exceptional score here.
Average
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PlushCare markets itself as an all-around health center for online psychiatry and urgent care combined, but when you look at the details, it really just offers a prescription service for mental health (via medical doctors, not psychiatrists). With a membership fee built in that customers complain is hard to get out of and higher costs for therapy if you want more than medication for your mental health, PlushCare falls behind many of its competitors. While we do love the refund policy, it could use some more dedicated services for online psychiatry before it receives a higher score here.
Average
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Brightside is a telehealth platform that offers quick access to online psychiatry, usually with appointments offered within 24 hours. The service focuses mostly on care for anxiety and depression (though we did see options for other care needs). However, with a strict no-refund policy once you've had your first session with a psychiatrist, there aren't a lot of ways to get recourse if something goes wrong. For these reasons (and the range of frustrations mentioned in verified reviews), Brightside earns a below-average score overall.
Fair
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Talkiatry is a more limited option for online psychiatry. First, you can only use this site if you're insured, so those who wish to use self-pay methods will have to look elsewhere. Second, there appears to be some significant frustration with cancellation fees. Customers who make online psychiatry appointments with Talkiatry report being wrongfully charged cancellation fees when Talkiatry cancels the appointment (which isn't part of the company's cancellation policy). With increasing frustration from customers and too few options for service, Talkiatry earns a below average rating from us.
Subpar
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HealthTap is an online medical platform that seems to be more focused on primary care than online psychiatry. While the site is convenient for finding a doctor with the option to video chat or text outside of appointments, there isn't much in the way of specialized psychiatry available. The fees for visits are low if you want to subscribe to the quarterly membership, but with frequent frustration from customers about access to useful mental health care on the platform, HealthTap gets a lower rating from us.
Weak
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Doctor On Demand is a 24/7 option for online psychiatry. While it has skilled psychiatrists on staff and a decent policy for refunds if necessary, the site isn't a favorite with patients. Customers say that the fees for appointments are too high, and many can't get what they want from Doctor On Demand. With unreliable psychiatrists being the number one complaint, this service falls behind its competitors.
Weak
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MDLive is a long-standing online psychiatry provider, but when it comes down to actually getting appointments with psychiatrists who can help, it doesn't quite hit the mark. MDLive initially sounds like a great option with solid vetting and a competitive refund policy. However, one look at the reviews and BBB score for this site tells a different story. With customers struggling through 5+ appointments to find the right match and frustrations with the lack of support from MDLive, it earns a pretty dismal score.
Poor
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Live Health Online is an online psychiatry provider that has great prices, but that's pretty much its only positive feature. While $85 per visit for follow-ups may feel like a steal, you may not actually get your psychiatric needs addressed. Many patients reported serious issues with psychiatrists missing scheduled appointments, ending sessions early without helping, or being transferred to doctors who couldn't help with their particular concerns. Because of these frequent problems, and no recourse from Live Health Online, it may be more frustrating and stressful than it's worth. With good reason, this online psychiatry platform lands at the bottom of our rankings.
Continued from above...
Everyone struggles with stress, anxiety, or depression sometimes, but you don't have to struggle alone. If you've been feeling down or like your brain is in a bit of a spiral, you're not the only one. Studies show that individuals in the US are experiencing stress from all sorts of sources.
For example, 83% of US adults have felt some anxiety or depression about work in recent years. Other numbers show that around 48 million people are suffering from depression. Over the years, seeking help for your mental health has become essential. Whether you're worried about a little generalized anxiety or something deeper like OCD or insomnia, finding a psychiatrist can help you gain a deeper understanding of your mind and help you by prescribing medications for you to manage your symptoms. The best part? Online psychiatry allows you to manage your concerns without driving long distances or struggling with thoughts that might make it hard to leave your home.
Online psychiatry is beneficial for a lot of people. Convenience is a huge motivator. If you don't have time in your busy schedule to drive to a psychiatrist's office, or your anxiety makes travel difficult for you, online psychiatry can solve those problems by letting you call in through an online video chat, check in with your psychiatrist, and go on with your day. This makes it simpler than ever to check in on your prescriptions, change your medication, or increase your dosage without having to worry about meetings eating into your busy schedule. Second, when you're at home, you might feel safer, so it's easier to talk about things that are bothering you without the higher pressure of a more "public" setting.
So, where do you find online psychiatry? Lucky for you, these days there is a massive increase in services offered online (online psychiatry included). Telehealth services are much more widespread. Some psychiatrists who used to only offer in-person appointments now offer quick 10- to 15-minute check-ins completely online. If you use telehealth for any other services, like medications or pharmacy prescriptions, the process for online psychiatry is exactly the same. In fact, these days, we're surprised if we find practitioners who don't offer some kind of telehealth option.
So, what does online psychiatry look like? While most telehealth appointments are video calls, some providers also offer phone calls or text messaging to answer quicker questions, updates about your condition, or medication effects. Many online psychiatry providers will offer you bundles with a number of calls, texts, and video appointments at a set price. You get the exact same level of service online as you might have with an in-person appointment.
No matter your reason for seeking online psychiatry (whether you're brand-new or an old hat at psychiatry appointments), taking the steps to secure a new psychiatrist is moving closer to management and recovery. Still, it can be overwhelming to know where to start working on your mental health. There are tons of online psychiatric services, with different specializations and subscription packages to consider. This array of choices can make picking the right fit for you more challenging, but don't worry. While some trial and error might be normal, we'll help you narrow the options. Here are some factors that can help you narrow the field:
To help you find the best online psychiatry platform for your mental health, Top Consumer Reviews has researched and ranked today's most popular providers. We hope this helps take some of the stress out of searching, so you can start prioritizing your mental health without any extra worries!
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