Our Services

Online Psychiatry

Through the Amwell website or mobile app, you can see a psychiatrist face-to-face from the privacy and comfort of your own home to address common behavioral health challenges. Psychiatrists are different than Amwell’s therapists in that they have the ability to prescribe medications for the treatment of diagnosed mental disorders.

No. The cost is the same no matter when you talk with a psychiatrist.

One in four Americans is affected by emotional distress at some point in their life, but only one in eight seeks care. From chronic concerns such as depression and anxiety, to recent stress caused by events such as grief, divorce, parenthood, and other major life changes, online psychiatry allows for reliable and convenient visits with licensed and highly-trained physicians. In addition to the initial consultation and diagnosis, here are a few reasons people go online to see a psychiatrist:

• You need one or more psychiatric medications
• You have one or more mental disorder diagnosis
• You feel that you aren’t getting better under the care of a general practitioner
• You are experiencing complex side effects with your current medication(s) and would like a second opinion
• You want to change your psychiatric medication
• You have questions about your doctor’s treatment plan and want a second opinion

And here are some of the most common conditions that can be addressed online:

• Anxiety
• Depression (Major Depressive Disorder, Postpartum Depression)
• Bipolar Disorder
• Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
• Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADD/ADHD)

An initial telepsychiatry consultation lasts 45 minutes. Follow‑up visits are 15 minutes. If a psychiatrist deems additional behavioral talk therapy to be appropriate for your mental health, he/she can refer you to a psychologist or counselor within the Amwell network.

A patient would see a psychiatrist for medication management and a psychologist for talk therapy. Sometimes the best form of treatment is a combination of both talk therapy and medication management. Psychiatrists and therapists are each able to evaluate a person to determine whether one or both treatment approaches are necessary, and can make recommendations based on their assessment.

Amwell psychiatrists are only available by appointment by calling 855‑818‑3627 or by using the self‑schedule feature within the Amwell app. Appointments are typically available in 14 days or less.

Our team of psychiatrists is often available during nights and weekends to help you cope with many life issues that require professional attention. Once you and your psychiatrist have established a relationship through the initial visit, your psychiatrist will schedule a follow‑up visit for you to continue treatment with them.

The telepsychiatry services on Amwell are provided by a network of licensed physicians who are board-certified in psychiatry and neurology. They can provide a thorough assessment and follow‑up visits for medication management. Each psychiatrist is licensed to practice in their state and is trained in delivering care via telehealth. In addition to psychiatrists, we have online licensed psychologists, therapists, and counselors who can provide counseling services.

No. At this time we are only seeing patients 18 and older. We plan to offer treatment for children and adolescents in the future, so be sure to check back often for updates.

An online psychiatry session is essentially the same as an office visit, but with the convenience and location of your choosing, eliminating the need for travel. You will be asked about your current emotional symptoms, potential factors contributing to these symptoms, your history, and what you would like to accomplish during your visit. Using this information, your psychiatrist will develop a thorough assessment and recommend a treatment plan. This will be an ongoing conversation that adapts as your needs change over time and your psychiatrist gets to know you better.

Yes. We feel it is of utmost importance to maintain patient privacy and keep information secure. Amwell is designed to be a private, secure, HIPAA-compliant tool that allows you to safely and confidentially consult with a psychiatrist online.

Yes. Just make sure to select the state you’re in under ‘My Location’ and you’ll only see psychiatrists licensed to see you in that state. When using the app, you can choose to update your current state based on mobile geolocation, making it faster to find a physician whether you are home or on the go.

No. At this time we operate only within the United States.

Controlled substances cannot be prescribed via telehealth on Amwell.  If you require a controlled substance (i.e., benzodiazepines), the Amwell psychiatrist may be able to coordinate with your primary care physician to have him or her prescribe those medications based on the psychiatrist’s recommendations. Otherwise, all other psychiatric medications can be prescribed by your online psychiatrist.

You can choose to share the session notes with your primary care provider. You will be asked if you want a copy of your after-visit summary to be shared with your primary care provider. If you choose to share your after-visit summary, Amwell will electronically transmit your after-visit summary. You can also print the notes and save them for your own file or share with other healthcare professionals yourself. You may also decide not to share this information. The choice is yours.

Seeking support from a medical professional is a big step in caring for yourself, and your relationship with your psychiatrist is an important part of your success in treatment. Do not hesitate to interview more than one psychiatrist in order to find one that is the best fit for you. A good psychiatrist will respect your decision.

Collaborative Care Psychiatry is when our psychiatrist cares for you in coordination and partnership with your primary care provider. Another term for this is Integrated Care.

Because doing so provides you with the highest quality care and most improves your overall health. Other important reasons to receive psychiatric care this way are safety, wellness, and efficiency.

In this model, there is more responsible oversight of controlled substance prescriptions, which is important due to their potential for addiction and the risks of combining controlled substances with other medications. Controlled substances being prescribed by more than one provider is a common occurrence, but can easily be avoided by us collaborating with your primary care provider. When appropriate, we will provide our recommendations to them and request that they prescribe you these types of medications in order to help avoid duplication of prescriptions, excessive use of the medications, and medication conflicts.

Studies repeatedly show that your overall health can be most improved by coordinating your mental and physical health care. Also, we realize that sometimes controlled substances are necessary to treat your condition, and we want you to receive the optimal treatment rather than offering you an alternative or second choice medication. As part of our collaborative approach, we may also recommend nutrition and/or talk therapy services to help you achieve optimal wellness.

Health care costs and inconveniences are rising due largely to redundancy of services caused by poor communication between providers. To manage your conditions responsibly, laboratory and diagnostic testing and specialist referrals are occasionally needed either for accurate diagnosis or ongoing monitoring. As with controlled substances, these recommendations will be made and carried out through your primary care provider, again avoiding duplication of tests and providing the best coordination of your care.

The psychiatrist will perform the initial psychiatric evaluation and all follow up visits with you, make a diagnosis and revise it as necessary over time, and prescribe you the psychiatric medications needed to get you well. With your permission, after each visit he will send a copy of the visit note to your primary care provider so they know what medications have been prescribed for you. The only medications the psychiatrist will not prescribe to you directly are any controlled substances, but he can recommend in his note that your primary care provider prescribe those for you. Other things the psychiatrist may recommend to your primary care provider are to order any lab tests, diagnostic studies, or specialist referrals that the psychiatrist may feel are important in managing your condition.

Certain medication that are potentially addictive are considered “controlled”, and can only be prescribed by a provider who has met you in person first, as per the federal regulation, The Ryan Haight Act of 2008. Examples of controlled medications are:

• Benzodiazepines - used for anxiety, panic, sleep disorders, tremors, and seizures - include medications such as Xanax, Ativan, Restoril, Valium, Klonopin, and Librium
• Hypnotics - used for insomnia - include medications such as Ambien, Ambien CR, Lunesta, and Sonata
• Stimulants - used for ADD/ADHD, fatigue, depression, cognitive issues, and narcolepsy - include medications such as Dextroamphetamine, Adderall, Vyvanse, Dexedrine, Methylphendiate, Ritalin, Concerta, Focalin, Provigil, and Nuvigil
• Opioids, used for pain, and will not generally be recommended by psychiatrists

Once your primary care provider has received the visit note from your psychiatrist recommending these medications be prescribed for you, you can call your primary care provider’s office and see if they will call those medications into your pharmacy for you to pick up. Your primary care provider may want you to schedule and come in for a visit with them first before they will prescribe these medications in some cases. In other cases, you may find that your primary care provider does not want to work collaboratively and does not agree to help you in this way. Should this be the case, one option is to consider finding a primary care provider who believes in collaborative care, wants to see that you get the help you need, and is willing to be part of this safe and thoughtful process.

The primary care provider’s role in collaborating with the psychiatrist is to receive and review the visit noted sent by your psychiatrist, and consider following the recommendations that have been made. These recommendations may include prescribing a controlled medication, ordering laboratory or diagnostic tests, and making a referral to a specialist for evaluation of other possible relevant conditions. The primary care doctor will see that copies of all such tests and evaluations are sent back to the psychiatrist for his record. Finally, if the primary care provider has any concerns over how the psychiatric medications may be affecting your physical health or other medical medications, he will communicate this to your psychiatrist for his consideration.

Besides regularly sharing notes and test results back and forth, there will be a secure voicemail line for your psychiatrist that your primary care provider will have access to allowing them to either speak on the phone or leave each other messages. It is very important that you do not use this voicemail to communicate with your psychiatrist, as it is for primary care providers only and using it may prevent other doctors from being able to communicate with our psychiatrists. Please be aware that your psychiatrist will not respond to messages left on this line by patients.

Call your primary care provider’s office and obtain their office fax number. You will need to enter your doctor’s fax number on our platform to enable us to coordinate your care. When you call your primary care provider’s office, inform the office that you will be getting your psychiatric care online and that they will be getting a note from your psychiatric visit outlining your diagnosis and treatment plan which may contain specific requests for your primary care provider. Advocate for yourself by explaining that you would like for them to work together with your psychiatric provider, who will be available to discuss your care with them anytime.

Don’t see your question? Don’t worry. Just e‑mail customer.support@amwell.com or call 1-877-410-5548. We have highly-trained health service specialists ready to take your call, 24/7.