Telepsychiatry and Medical Students: a Promising Mental Health Treatment for Medical Student Use Both Personally and Professionally

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: We review recent findings on the use of telepsychiatry while investigating medical students’ perceptions and willingness to use it for their mental health needs. We explore the impact of COVID-19 on medical school curriculums. We also investigate current education in medical schools surrounding telemedicine. RECENT FINDINGS: Medical students experience symptoms of anxiety at a greater rate than the general population. Major barriers to help-seeking behaviors are the refusal to seek treatment due to fear of incurring negative views from supervising faculty, time constraints, and the cost of counseling services. Those who do use telemental health resources have positive views and believe that it is an effective tool. SUMMARY: Medical students are willing to use telepsychiatry for their personal mental health needs and recognize its value as a treatment modality that will be useful for their future patients. The telemedicine field is evolving but many medical school curriculums do not include education on telemedicine.