The reality, in which we have found ourselves since 2020, has led to a situation where more and more people struggle with mental problems. The pandemic period caused a significant increase in the demand for mental health specialists and the number of people in need of help is constantly growing. There are many forms of support. There are both traditional psychological offices and assistance of psychiatrists who provide their services to people with mental disorders and for those who struggle with depression, as well as psychological help provided online or in the form of teleconsultations.
Changes during the pandemic – the role of telemedicine
During the pandemic, we felt a clear change in the availability of medical services. Despite the growing demand, many medical facilities were closed and the possibility of direct contact with specialists was limited. For the first time on such a large scale, we encountered the need to use telephone advice. Medical facilities adapted to the applicable restrictions and expanded the catalogue of specialists providing teleconsultations. Thus, methods of psychological support related to the use of technology for contact between psychologists and their patients also developed. In addition to teleconsultations, psychologists began to use video consultations more and more often, which very quickly became
a commonly used method in the course of mental support therapy. Despite the slowdown of the pandemic and return to patient admission in medical facilities, it can be noticed that online contact and therapy are still popular and used by many specialists. Video consultations are also very popular among patients who appreciate the nature and form of such assistance and reach for it willingly due to the comfort that lies behind the lack of need to visit a psychologist in person.
Growing demand for psychological support
The pandemic period began to deepen mental problems in people of all ages. It was primarily the result of the situation we found ourselves in. Lack of contact with other people, growing problems at home, problems with work, loss of income – all this generated stressful situations which contributed to the significant development of mental problems. Anxiety, uncertainty and depression have become so common that the importance of mental health and the possibility of obtaining support began to be proclaimed. Thanks to awareness-raising activities on a nationwide scale, more and more people are aware of their own problems and try to seek help from specialists who will be able to guide them in such a way that they can overcome their problems and return to the path of mental health.
Access to the best specialists thanks to online contact
The introduction of telemedicine had a significant impact on the market of medical services and services related to psychological support. So it should not come as a surprise that many people try to find professional help online. It is also a great solution due to access to many specialists who are able to offer high-quality medical assistance, taking into consideration the individual situation of the patient. For people living far from big cities, where there are no specialists, access to telemedicine and thus access to specialist doctors from all over Poland is a good solution that is worth paying attention to and also using in the context of mental health.
Although different opinions were expressed about telemedicine and its development during the pandemic, there are specialisations in which this form of support works well and is worth praising. The possibility of online visit in the form of video consultation contributed to the increase in access to specialists for people who have found it very difficult so far to obtain professional psychological support, for instance because of their place of residence. Currently, psychological support in the form of video consultations works great and is becoming more and more popular because when looking for help from good therapists, we are no longer limited by territorial range. HomeDoctor.pl offers a very popular service of teleconsultations with psychologists or psychiatrists.
The article was written in cooperation with Home Doctor.
