Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is RNR Wellness Care?
Through the 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 therapists in that they have the ability to prescribe medications for the treatment of diagnosed mental disorders.
Q: What is the difference between a therapist and psychiatrist?
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 treatments approaches are necessary, and can make recommendations based on their assessment.
Why would I see a psychiatrist online?
One in four Americans is affected by emotional distress at some time in 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, or other major life changes, online psychiatry allows for reliable and convenient visits with licensed and highly trained physicians. Besides an initial consultation and diagnosis, here are a few reasons people go online to see a psychiatrist:
• You need a psychiatric medication or more than one psychiatric medication
• 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 to your current medications 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 addressed online:
• Anxiety
• Depression (Major Depressive Disorder, Postpartum Depression)
• Bipolar Disorder
• PTSD
• Eating Disorder
Q: What is Collaborative Care Psychiatry?
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.
Q: Why do we recommend collaborative psychiatry?
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.
Q: Why is collaborative psychiatry safer for me?
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.
Q: What kind of medication can be prescribed?
Controlled substances cannot be prescribed via telehealth unless you have seen one of our providers first in person. If you require a controlled substance (i.e., benzodiazepines), the 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.