The Essential Role of Telehealth in Rural Mental Health Services
While the American healthcare system is currently facing a wide swath of challenges, the problem of rural healthcare is one of the most persistent and difficult to solve. In essence, scores of Americans living in rural areas currently don’t have access to meaningful healthcare resources.
Sadly, this lack of access for rural residents reaches beyond just physical care to also include reduced, or nonexistent, access to mental health care and social work services. As such, many rural residents have traditionally suffered more severe mental health ailments due to the lack of care they have access to.
Fortunately, telehealth has emerged as a meaningful and effective solution to the problem of rural mental health care. Understanding how telehealth is helping masses of Americans receive the mental health support they need is key to gaining perspective on how the problem of rural healthcare can be solved.
Here’s the essential role of telehealth in rural mental health services.
Making Mental Health Professionals Accessible
Oftentimes, those struggling with mental health issues lack the motivation to seek out the care of professionals with the skills, experiences, and resources to help them. For rural residents, these barriers are exacerbated given the fact that the closest mental health professionals are often hours away.
Fortunately, telehealth is breaking down this key barrier by eliminating the need for mental health professionals to be in the same location as their rural clients and patients.
This increased access to mental health resources through digital technology is the most important way that telehealth is playing an essential role in helping rural residents get the support they need.
Making Rural Residents More Comfortable with the Idea of Receiving Mental Care
Sadly, stigmas around mental health are still extremely prevalent in rural areas across the world — especially rural areas in America. Oftentimes, this makes individuals struggling with mental health issues more uncomfortable with the idea of receiving help.
However, telehealth mental health services are making this process more approachable for rural residents who are still uncomfortable with the idea of receiving mental health care.
Essentially, telehealth mental health services can be provided to patients no matter where they are. For most rural patients, this will mean interacting with mental health professionals in the privacy and comfort of their own homes.
Though this may not seem like a huge factor for some, those living in communities that stigmatize mental health problems can benefit significantly from being able to get mental health care in their own living spaces.
In this way, telehealth is making mental health care not only more accessible but also more comfortable for many rural residents in the modern era.
Making Privacy Possible
As has been noted, many rural residents battle with the disheartening attitudes that their communities hold about mental health issues. As a result, many individuals in need of mental health care fear that receiving the care they need could lead to them being ostracized by the people around them.
These days, however, telehealth is making privacy possible and eliminating the chances that rural residents will be seen receiving mental health care by others.
Rather than having to go to a medical facility or office, rural patients can receive their care privately in their own homes. This virtually eliminates the chances of others in the community catching on to the fact they’re getting this type of support.
Though it’s disheartening that these types of stigmas and attitudes still exist, the fact that more rural residents are able to receive the mental health care they need highlights the importance and value of telehealth services in modern-day society.
The Barriers to Telehealth Mental Health Care in Rural Community
While telehealth has proved itself to be an amazing process and tool in rural communities, there are still barriers to it being adopted by all rural residents.
These barriers include:
Stigmas: Sadly, many rural residents in need of mental health services who have access to telehealth services are unwilling to take advantage of them due to their preconceived notions about mental health.
Internet: While some rural residents have access to a reliable internet connection, many still lack this resource and are unable to take full advantage of all of the resources that telehealth has to offer.
Costs: Though some low-cost and free telehealth mental health services do currently exist, there still needs to be some significant cost reductions to telehealth services before they become accessible for all rural residents.
Telehealth is Transforming Rural Mental Health Care
While healthcare in rural populations still remains a challenging problem for healthcare professionals, telehealth is making a tremendously beneficial impact. By making mental health services more accessible, many rural residents are now able to receive the support they deserve. As time goes on and new innovations in telehealth and mental health care emerge, many are hopeful that the issue of rural mental health care can be solved.
