Our Top Online Psychiatry
- Best for Picking Your Own Provider: Cerebral
- Best for Affordability: Brightside Health
- Best for Communication: Teladoc
- Best for Specialized Care: ADHD Advisor
- Best for In-Person Options: Sesame
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For some, mental health treatment may need to extend beyond the services that a therapist or other licensed mental health professional can provide. When medication is in order, a visit with a psychiatrist is often necessary. And like talk therapy, there are remote options available.
To determine the best online psychiatry services, the Forbes Health editorial team analyzed data on an array of metrics including cost, types of conditions treated, added features and more. Star rankings were assigned solely by the editorial team.
Here are our top picks for the best online psychiatry platforms.
Note: Prices are based on the lowest option available, are accurate as of publication and are subject to change.
The Forbes Health editorial team prioritizes the accuracy and integrity of the data collected. Our ranking is based on quantitative data and is free from conflicts of interest. We carefully fact check the information featured in our ranking and are committed to producing rankings and supplemental content about mental health treatment that readers can trust. You can read more about our editorial guidelines and our online therapy methodology for the rankings below.
Cerebral’s medication plan can help people who experience conditions like anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder and more. Users can filter through the platform’s diverse clinician base of psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners by age, gender, experience and more to find their ideal provider. What’s more, half of Cerebral’s clinicians come from minority backgrounds and many provide specialized support to the LGBTQIA+ community, according to the platform’s website. For $95 per month, Cerebral users meet with their clinician to complete an initial intake and meet for follow-up sessions up to two times each month.
“Cerebral is a great option for someone looking to tailor their own experience. I appreciate its diverse provider base, with information that clearly outlines each clinician’s background, licensing and specialties. The provider descriptions also establish if they are accepting new patients, removing the hassle of having to filter or parse through availability.”
Plan | Cost |
---|---|
Medication | $95 per month |
Therapy | $295 per month |
Medication + Therapy | $365 per month |
With a bevy of board-certified psychiatrists, Brightside Health offers care for a range of mental health conditions—including major depressive and panic disorders, postpartum depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), social anxiety disorder and more. Upon completing a free online assessment, Brightside Health matches you with a psychiatric provider in as little as 24 hours. Brightside’s psychiatrists will then evaluate your symptoms and develop a treatment plan. If that plan includes medication, psychiatrists can send prescriptions to your pharmacy or directly to your home. The Brightside Psychiatry Plan costs $95 per month, plus your pharmacy copay if you use insurance for prescription medications.
“For someone hoping to get an appointment on short notice, Brightside is a solid option. Not only can you schedule an appointment in as little as a day, but clinicians respond within a few days on the app’s messaging function. Plus, thanks to the slew of insurance options, coverage isn’t as much of a concern compared to other services.”
Plan | Cost |
---|---|
Psychiatry | $95 per month |
Therapy | $299 per month |
Psychiatry + Therapy | $349 per month |
Crisis Care + Psychiatry | Available only with insurance in select states |
Teladoc’s board-certified psychiatrists can prescribe medications for anxiety, depression, mood disorders, PTSD and more. Upon registering, the platform prompts users to complete an initial questionnaire detailing their preferences for a mental health care provider as well as a user’s specific needs. Teladoc outlines details about each provider—including gender, language and specialty—to help users make an informed decision. Costs vary by insurance, but can range anywhere from $0 to $299 for initial psychiatric evaluations, while follow-up sessions may cost anywhere from $0 to $129, according to the company.
“Teladoc seems like it would be very helpful for someone wanting to track their progress. With detailed visit summaries, users can easily check in with themselves and their personal journey. The platform’s app is available in both Apple and Google’s app stores, making it even easier to make appointments and communicate with providers.”
Plan | Cost |
---|---|
Therapy | $119 per session |
Initial psychiatric evaluation | $299 per session |
Psychiatry follow-up sessions | $129 per session |
ADHD Advisor may be the best option for those who have been diagnosed with or experience symptoms associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). After an initial symptom assessment, the platform’s clinicians can offer a diagnosis, online therapy and medication management services. While ADHD Advisor specializes in ADHD management, providers can also help those with anxiety, depression, PTSD or executive function deficits (such as difficulties paying attention, organizing or planning). Many patients receive a diagnosis at the end of their first appointment, after which they develop a personalized treatment plan with their practitioner.
“ADHD Advisor may be a worthy one-stop-shop for those living with ADHD, as it offers diagnosis, therapy and medication (if necessary) without having to leave its platform. Additionally, I like ADHD Advisor’s commitment to user satisfaction, as it offers full refunds if a user is dissatisfied with its services, and I appreciate that it offers same-day appointments. However, I feel that the $140 weekly therapy rate may be out of reach for many users, especially considering the platform does not accept insurance or Medicare.”
Plan | Cost |
---|---|
Initial evaluation | $150 per session |
Therapy | $140 per week |
Medication management | $100 per month |
Sesame’s nationwide network of licensed psychiatrists can treat individuals with anxiety, PTSD, ADHD, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and more. Psychiatry appointments typically last 35 to 45 minutes and are available 24/7, according to the company. Sesame is also the only platform on this list that has an in-person mental health consultation option in certain states, which includes symptom and lifestyle assessments, medical history review and more.
“Sesame’s in-person appointment options may be helpful for someone who doesn’t have access to a webcam. However, when checking in-person availability, options varied by location. In New York City, for example, about four providers were available for in-person visits. But in North Carolina, there weren’t any. Luckily, Sesame’s online platform appears easy to use. You can see prices up front, without even making an account.”
Plan | Cost |
---|---|
Psychiatry | Varies by state and provider, but around $132 |
Sesame Plus membership | $10.99 per month or $99 per year |
Product | company_logo | Forbes Health Ratings | forbes_advisor_rating_image | Best For | View More | learn_more_cta_below_text | Learn More |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cerebral | 5.0 | Best for Picking Your Own Provider | Learn More | On Cerebral's Website | https://cerebral.sjv.io/c/1955282/999612/12128" rel="nofollow" | ||
Brightside Health | 4.2 | Best for Affordability | Learn More | On Brightside's Website | https://brightside.pxf.io/c/1955282/1043563/12658" rel="nofollow" | ||
Teladoc Health | 4.0 | Best for Communication | View More | #teladoc_health_section | |||
ADHD Advisor | 3.9 | Best for Specialized Care | Learn More | On ADHDAdvisor.org | https://www.adhdadvisor.org/initial-assessment?utm_campaign=#health" rel="nofollow" | ||
Sesame | 3.8 | Best for In-Person Options | Learn More | On Sesame Care's Website | https://sesame-care.pxf.io/c/1955282/1094778/13292" rel="nofollow" |
To determine the best online psychiatry of 2024, the Forbes Health editorial team distributed an in-depth survey to 43 online mental health providers with questions about their services. Those questions covered appointment costs, insurance acceptance, size of provider network and more. The Forbes Health editorial team also independently collected data on more than 35 metrics to determine its best online psychiatry ranking. Extra points were awarded to companies that were transparent and provided information about their services via the aforementioned survey.
Read more about our online therapy methodology.
Telepsychiatry is like in-person psychiatry—patients talk directly to a psychiatrist who can prescribe medication for mental health conditions—except it’s all done online. Many services use video calls to facilitate treatment for careseekers, and often incorporate care through desktop and laptop computers, tablets, mobile apps and text messaging.
Unlike talk therapy with a therapist or psychologist, psychiatrists are medical doctors who specialize in mental, behavioral and emotional disorders, and are able to prescribe medication.
While exploration on the impact of telepsychiatry is ongoing, current research suggests it may have a positive effect on patients: “In all of the studies noted, satisfaction (when measured) was either equivalent to face-to-face or significantly higher for all of the groups that included televideo as the intervention,” according to a systematic review of 14 studies on telepsychiatry treatment for major depressive disorder in Community Mental Health Journal[1]Guaiana G. A Systematic Review of the Use of Telepsychiatry in Depression. Community Ment Health J. 2021; 57(1): 93–100. . “Psychiatry appears particularly well-suited to this model, as an assessment consists mainly of speaking with and laying eyes on the patient.”
This may suggest, the findings continue “that, overall, depressed patients find mental health care delivered by televideo to be at least as acceptable as traditional, in-person treatment. This may help ease the concern that patients may find telepsychiatry to be cold or impersonal.”
Mental Health Is Personal. So Is Talkiatry's Approach To Psychiatry.
Answer a few questions, match with a psychiatrist, and start collaborating on your care with your doctor.
On Talkiatry's Website
Psychiatrists can treat a range of mental health conditions including generalized anxiety disorder, major depressive disorder, OCD, panic disorder, phobias, PTSD, seasonal affective disorder, postpartum depression, bipolar disorder and more.
They can explore multiple treatment options for individuals, including medication management. Those medications might include antidepressants for certain mental health issues, according to the American Psychiatric Association, plus antipsychotic medications, sedatives, mood stabilizers and more. Psychiatrists may also opt for interventional psychiatry methods in certain cases, including ketamine treatments or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
Under the Ryan Haight Act of 2008, physicians cannot write prescriptions for controlled substances via telemedicine without the patient first receiving an in-person evaluation. Flexibility around this was granted during the pandemic but will only continue to be extended until the end of 2024.
Psychiatrists and psychologists differ based on their education, training and treatments they offer. For instance, psychiatrists earn medical degrees (M.D.) and can provide both therapy and medication management, while psychologists earn doctorate degrees in either philosophy (Ph.D.) or psychology (Psy.D.) and provide therapy and counseling.
How much an online psychiatrist costs will vary depending on your insurance coverage and the psychiatric provider. Typically, psychiatric providers charge a higher, initial evaluation fee (the ones on our ranking range from $95 to $299), with follow-up sessions for medication management priced lower (on our ranking, they range from $95 to $175 per session).
Some online psychiatric providers also offer the option to bundle psychiatric services with talk therapy or online therapy at an additional cost—such is the case for Brightside.
Medicare Part B does cover psychiatric care, including psychiatric evaluation and medication management. After you meet your Part B deductible, you pay 20% of the Medicare-approved amount for your visits. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicare telehealth coverage has expanded to include telehealth services including those that diagnose, evaluate and treat mental health conditions.
Whether private insurance covers online psychiatry will be dependent on your provider and plan.
People who may benefit from psychiatric care include those in need of medication management or prescription medication. Additionally, those living with more complex mental health disorders—including OCD, personality disorders, PTSD and bipolar disorder—may benefit from online psychiatry.
When shopping around for an online psychiatry service, consider the following:
It can be hard to tell whether your feelings are a typical reaction to adversity or if more intervention may be needed. If you are experiencing prolonged sadness, loss of interest in social activities, changes in sleeping or eating or extreme emotional highs and lows, it’s important to take action and speak with a health professional.
When negative emotions overtake your daily life and interfere with normal activities, talk to a doctor. Some primary care physicians can prescribe medication for anxiety and depression, but if you don’t have access to this care or you’ve exhausted all your other options, online psychiatry may help.
Psychiatry, With You In Mind
Real doctors, real prescriptions, and real therapy is now just a few clicks away.
On Talkiatry's Website
Online psychiatry platforms that offer services with licensed psychiatrists, like those featured in this ranking, provide a legitimate and effective form of mental health care.
Many people find online psychiatry to be effective, and overall, research suggests that care received through telehealth is an effective form of treatment.
Many online psychiatric platforms do not require a referral to use their services. However, your insurance coverage may require a referral, so check with your provider, first.
Licensed psychiatrists who practice telepsychiatry are able to prescribe medication, including anti-anxiety medication, virtually.
Information provided on Forbes Health is for educational purposes only. Your health and wellness is unique to you, and the products and services we review may not be right for your circumstances. We do not offer individual medical advice, diagnosis or treatment plans. For personal advice, please consult with a medical professional.
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Shawn is a dedicated news person who's produced content for print and online. He's worked in reporting, writing and editing roles across newsrooms like CNBC and Fox Digital, but he kicked off his career reporting on health for Healio.com. When Shawn isn't doing the news, he's probably deleting app notifications from his phone.
Macy Alcido is a freelance writer based in New York City. She discovered her love for health reporting while attending the Columbia Journalism School, and has since contributed health-related stories to HuffPost, Psychiatric Times and Verywell. Macy also reported on health topics as a junior news writer at theSkimm, while covering a variety of topics including pop culture, politics and tech.
Ashwini Nadkarni, M.D., is a board-certified psychiatrist, assistant medical director of Brigham Psychiatric Specialties Group and associate vice chair for wellness in the Department of Psychiatry at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She is also an instructor at Harvard Medical School. In her clinical practice, Dr. Nadkarni focuses on a strength-based approach, prioritizing mindfulness, compassion and collaboration. She is a nationally-recognized expert on brain-gut health and the integration of behavioral health into primary care, authoring several cornerstone book chapters and lecturing routinely at national meetings. She is also a thought leader in health care worker burnout and its impact on quality of care. Her academic and advocacy work have been featured in peer-reviewed journals such as JAMA, National Academy of Medicine Perspectives, JAMA Psychiatry, Lancet Psychiatry and American Journal of Psychiatry. Dr. Nadkarni was an expert commentator in the documentary film The Observed Life, and is regularly cited in the media for her expertise on brain-gut health, career burnout and digital mental health, including numerous podcasts, radio shows and TV news segments. Within the greater Boston community, Dr. Nadkarni is a board member for Volunteers of America, Massachusetts.