Date

8-6-2025

Department

School of Health Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences (PhD)

Chair

Keith Pelletier

Keywords

telepsychiatry, quantitative, chronic mental illness, emergency department, psychiatry, pyschiatric

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Psychiatry and Psychology

Abstract

The use of emergency departments for chronic mental illness is a growing problem and contributes to overcrowding. Preventing psychiatric patients from using an ED for their chronic mental illness is a key part of reducing this problem. Telepsychiatry allows patients to access psychiatric care from wherever it is convenient to them with shorter wait times for appointments. This study compared emergency department use between in-person and telepsychiatry utilizers to determine if one group had fewer occurrences than the other. Through an anonymous online survey, data was collected and analyzed using quantitative analysis techniques. This study concluded that patients using telepsychiatry were significant less likely to seek treatment at an ED for non-emergent symptoms related to their chronic mental illness. The findings of this study will be used to contribute to the growth of the telepsychiatry treatment model, subsequently increasing the availability of mental health services and improving the mental wellness of the public.

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