An online psychiatrist consultation lets you talk with a psychiatry consultant by voice and video from your home, without travel or waiting in a clinic. It suits many cases of anxiety, depression and insomnia and treatment follow-up, and those who live far away or care about their privacy. But it isn’t suitable for every situation; acute crises and suicidal thoughts need direct intervention. This article explains what can be done online and what can’t, how to prepare for your session, and how your privacy is kept.
What is an online psychiatrist consultation?
It is a session with a psychiatrist via a video call or voice call at a set appointment, in which the doctor asks you about the symptoms and their history, assesses your condition, and discusses the plan with you. It is a real psychiatric examination, not just a chat, and follows the same logic as a clinic visit, with one important difference: the doctor can’t examine you physically or request a test at the same moment.
These consultations differ from the remote addiction treatment program, which focuses on following recovery from drugs. Here the talk is about psychiatry in general: anxiety, depression, OCD, insomnia, mood swings and others.
Who does the online consultation suit?
- Someone following a stable treatment: a depression or anxiety patient who has improved and needs a periodic review to adjust the plan.
- Arabs and Egyptians abroad: those who want to speak in their language and dialect with a doctor who understands their culture.
- Someone who fears being seen: they enter the session from their room without passing through any clinic.
- Someone for whom going out is difficult: a mother of an infant, a patient with severe social anxiety, or someone living in a distant governorate.
- Someone who wants a first step: a hesitant person who wants to understand what they are going through before deciding to visit the clinic.
What can be done online?
- An initial assessment of symptoms and knowing whether you need treatment and of what kind.
- Following the response to treatment and the side effects of medicine.
- Individual psychotherapy sessions, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, for many cases of anxiety and depression.
- Guidance sessions for the family on how to support the patient.
- Determining whether the case needs an in-person visit or a higher level of care.
What isn’t suitable online?
Some cases need the patient to be in front of the doctor, or under continuous supervision:
- An acute psychotic episode with hallucinations or severe suspicion that prevents the patient from cooperating.
- A severe manic episode in bipolar disorder.
- Severe depression with refusal to eat or drink or suicidal thoughts.
- Symptoms that may have a physical cause and need examination and tests.
- Starting or stopping medicines that need close monitoring.
In these cases the role of the online session, if it takes place, is to direct you quickly to the clinic or to admission to hospital, as the guide to the psychiatric hospital explains.
Medicines and prescriptions remotely
In the online consultation the doctor may decide that your condition needs a medicine, or adjust a medicine you are already taking. But dispensing psychiatric medicines is subject to regulatory rules that differ from country to country, and some medicines have special controls and are only dispensed under certain conditions. That is why the doctor explains to you what can be done in your case according to the rules in force where you are, and may request an in-person visit first. And don’t start, stop or change the dose of any medicine without the treating doctor. To learn about the families of psychiatric medicines in general see psychiatric medicines.
When do you need emergency care, not an online session?
A remote consultation is arranged by appointment, and isn’t a substitute for urgent intervention.
Call the ambulance on 123 or the mental health line 08008880700 immediately if
Don't wait for the session appointment in these situations:
- You are seriously thinking of harming yourself or ending your life
- Someone close to you is talking about suicide or saying goodbye to those around them
- Hallucinations or behavior dangerous to self or others have appeared
- Someone has taken a large amount of medicines
And if you are outside Egypt, call the emergency numbers in the country where you live. These crises pass, and help is available.
How do you prepare for your first session?
- Choose a quiet place where you are alone, and make sure of the internet and charging.
- Write before the session the most important things bothering you and when they started.
- Prepare the names of the medicines you take and any previous reports or tests.
- Note down your questions, so you don’t forget them during the conversation.
- If you want a family member to attend, tell the doctor at the start.
What the doctor usually asks about in the first visit is explained in when do you need a psychiatrist.
Privacy: on the hospital’s side and on yours
What you say in the session is confidential, and stays between you and the treating team. The means of contact used and the booking method are explained by the team when you get in touch. On your side, privacy starts with the place you sit: earphones, a closed door, and a device no one else uses. And if a female patient prefers a female doctor, this is available at the hospital, and the team explains when booking whether the session can be with her remotely. The details are on the female psychiatrist in Sheikh Zayed page.
For Arabs and Egyptians outside Egypt
Many who live in the Gulf or Europe postpone psychiatric treatment because they don’t find a doctor who speaks their language or understands the pressures of living abroad, from distance from family to long working hours and anxiety about residence and work. The online consultation solves part of this problem, provided the time difference is taken into account when booking, and the patient knows in advance what medicines can be dispensed in their country of residence. And someone who needs therapeutic residence can plan for it during a holiday, with remote follow-up continuing after returning.
Is the online consultation enough on its own?
For many mild and moderate cases, remote sessions with regular follow-up may be enough. For other cases it is only the beginning of the road: the doctor discovers that the case needs an in-person clinic, half residency, or full residence for a period. What matters is that the doctor is frank with you about that, and that the level of care changes according to what the case needs, not according to what is easiest.
Book your remote consultation
At Riviera Life you can start with an online psychiatric consultation with the psychiatry consultants, and the first consultation is free and completely confidential. And if your case needs more than that, the hospital in Sheikh Zayed, Giza, provides an outpatient clinic, half residency and full residence, with round-the-clock medical supervision. The hospital is licensed by the Ministry of Health and has fourteen years of experience. Call or message us on +201507999722 to set your appointment.
More from the mental health guide
- When do you need a psychiatrist
- Psychiatric medicines
- Remote addiction treatment
- Female psychiatrist in Sheikh Zayed
Questions many people ask
For many cases of anxiety and depression and treatment follow-up it is useful to a degree close to an in-person visit, but it isn't suitable for acute crises or cases that need a physical examination.
The doctor may decide the case needs a medicine, but dispensing psychiatric medicines is subject to rules that differ from country to country, and some need an in-person visit.
Yes, online psychiatric consultations with psychiatry consultants are available, the first consultation is free, and the team explains the method of contact when booking.
Yes, taking into account the time difference and knowing the rules for dispensing medicines in your country of residence, and in emergencies you call local emergency numbers.
Don't wait for the appointment; call the ambulance on 123 or the mental health line 08008880700, go to the nearest emergency department, or ask someone close to stay with you.
