You have probably heard or seen advertisements about online therapy programs, which have become quite popular nowadays. Ginger.io is one of those programs, and it has helped employees in significant companies deal with their mental health issues daily. However, can Ginger psychiatrists prescribe medication and monitor your mental health progress?
Since all Ginger psychiatrists are actively licensed, they can prescribe medications for patients they consider necessary. Antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds, and antipsychotics are commonly prescribed by Ginger experts, while controlled substances, stimulants, or opiates are not allowed.
If you are about to start online therapy with Ginger, you would like to know what options will the program include. Aside from offering various therapies, Ginger can also prescribe medications, although there are some restrictions in this area. This article encompasses everything you need to know about Ginger and its policies on prescribing medicines to its patients, as well as treatments that may or may not include medication in progress.
What Is Online Psychiatry?
Since this has recently started becoming popular, many people still wonder how online therapies and psychiatry work and what methods are used. Therefore, online psychiatry refers to a method that uses technology
to provide health care from a distance. In other words, you are attending therapy sessions via texts or videoconferencing.
The devices that people use daily, such as computers, laptops, tablets, and smartphones, are all suitable to achieve this purpose, i.e., to have a successful and useful therapy from a distance. During these therapy or psychiatry sessions, you can discuss different mental health issues. The licensed therapist or psychiatrist with whom you work will use a particular method to improve the treatment and the progress.
Different online therapy programs, such as Ginger.io, BetterHelp, and Calmerry, focus on various mental health fields. They encompass different kinds of methods used for more successful therapies patients. Even though they have differences, almost all online therapy programs offer the ability to start the therapy with a text and then continue using video sessions and similar techniques. Since many people do not feel comfortable approaching a therapist for the first time, texting has been a huge improvement in dealing with mental health issues.
Online psychiatry is efficient because you are not required to visit the psychiatrist’s office. You can contact a mental health expert at any time you need since these programs offer you access to psychiatrists 24/7. In addition, the progress of the patient is easily monitored since everything is recorded electronically. This is especially beneficial if the patient needs medications during the treatment period.
How Are Therapy And Psychiatry Different?
The terms therapy and psychiatry are often used interchangeably, resulting in people believing that it is the same thing. Although it is not wrong to use the terms interchangeably, you still need to know their main differences. This will be useful when deciding what kind of therapy you need and what will be offered to you.
Therefore, therapy refers to an approach or a method in which the therapist focuses on a broader field of mental health and is working to resolve why certain patterns have appeared and developed. Simultaneously, they figure out the best way which will help the patient to create a change. These treatments are generally based on a conversation with the mental health expert to achieve the end goal, i.e., to improve the patient’s mental health.
On the other hand, psychiatry is conducted by a psychiatrist, a medical doctor with an active license, and the treatment can involve medication. In other words, psychiatrists can prescribe different types of medications if needed. This type of treatment is necessary when the patient shows more serious and enduring issues.
Does Ginger Prescribe Medication?
Firstly, it is very important to acknowledge the fact that Ginger offers various treatment methods. For instance, some people would find texting as a method of therapy efficient and enough for them, while others would need therapy or psychiatry with video calls. Each of these methods is proven to work; however, you only decide what works for you best.
Therefore, along with different types of therapy come different types of resources that are needed for that therapy to work. Some patients attending psychiatry might be prescribed medications if they show severe and enduring symptoms. Ginger psychiatrists are medical doctors with an active license, so they are fully approved for prescribing medications.
Even though the sessions happen over a certain device from a distance, that does not mean that proper care would be restricted. Therefore, medications are an option if there the psychiatrist would assess that the patient needs them. However, since Ginger is an online platform for mental health well-being, medication prescription is limited to some point.
Therefore, Ginger psychiatrists can prescribe medications such as antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anti-anxiety medication. These kinds of medications are allowed considering they do not need an in-person visit for a prescription. However, some stronger medications that would require closer monitoring of the patient, i.e., physical sessions with them, are not allowed for prescription by Ginger psychiatrists.
In other words, controlled substances, such as opiates, stimulants, and benzodiazepines, are prohibited for prescription by Ginger mental health coaches. This is because these medications require an in-person visit and very close observation of the patient in question. However, Ginger psychiatrists can generally treat most issues without using stronger medications. They do not need physical attendance to address the mental health issues with which the patient is struggling.
Do Ginger Psychiatrists Manage The Medication Of Patients?
Since Ginger offers many coaches, therapists, and psychiatrists, you might be concerned about managing medication. When it comes to taking medications for mental health issues, it is vital to observe the effects and the impacts of that medication. However, Ginger has thought about all that, so no patient has prescribed medication without proper observation.
Therefore, if a patient is attending psychiatric sessions along with medications, they will meet with their psychiatrist every 4-8 weeks to assess the progress of the medication and the effects that it has caused. According to the evaluation of a particular psychiatrist, they can increase or decrease the dosage of the medication. However, the patient will never be left to take the medications themselves, i.e., without proper monitoring and managing.
How Do You Know Whether You Need Therapy Or Psychiatry?
This part can be confusing for many people who seek help for mental health issues via online therapy programs. Many people find it very difficult even to accept that they need professional help, and that is quite common and normal, so there is no need to be embarrassed or feel like you are alone in this. That is the reason why Ginger offers texting with professional coaches before therapy or psychiatry sessions.
Once a patient starts communicating with a certain coach, they start elaborating on their issues. The coach’s main role is to establish how to proceed with the treatment and additional steps to help their patients. So, the patient and their coach will determine whether they need therapy or a psychiatry session.
To approach a Ginger coach, you need to contact the Member Support team to help you get a coach with whom you can start communicating your mental health issues. The support team members are also glad to help if you have any questions or confusion regarding the coaches and the therapy sessions. Therefore, the only thing you can do is get hold of a professional coach from Ginger, and the next steps will come naturally by communication.
Benefits Of Ginger Online Psychiatry
As I previously mentioned, many people have found Ginger quite helpful, and they have accepted that they need a special way to deal with mental health issues. Even though taking the first step might be difficult, patients have discovered real benefits from different methods used by Ginger for addressing mental health problems. Many patients have found that communicating with coaches is enough for them, and they have improved their states; however, sometimes, taking some extra steps is crucial.
Although not many people feel comfortable attending sessions with video calls, these have proven very beneficial for the patients. Online psychiatry sessions on Ginger are affordable and flexible, and they can address almost all mental health conditions and issues, so it is worth the try.
Some of the benefits you can get out of an online psychiatry session are:
- Improvement of mental health states even from a distance.
- Flexible schedules, meaning that you can easily combine the sessions in your daily routines.
- You will not have to reschedule your session due to working hours since you can do the session at any time you find convenient.
- Better monitoring of the progress that happens over multiple sessions.
As you can see, there are many reasons why you should opt for an online psychiatry session. Aside from the fact that you will save a lot of time since you will not commute to your psychiatrist’s office, you might also feel more comfortable talking in front of a screen. It has been way easier for some people to talk in front of a screen in an environment they choose instead of a psychiatrist’s office, which can be stressful at times.
How Are Ginger Online Treatments Sessions Different From The Ones Of BetterHelp?
While sharing many similarities, Ginger and BetterHelp have differences, so before choosing the platform you need, you will need to familiarize yourself with them. Although these two programs encompass the same focal points when addressing different issues, they do not offer the same therapy and treatment methods.
For instance, both Ginger and BetterHelp have licensed therapists and coaches. However, BetterHelp does not offer psychiatry sessions. Although both have video sessions at their disposal, you cannot come across a psychiatrist on BetterHelp. Therefore, if you need a psychiatry session, you will not have the option to have one since they do not offer that kind of mental health treatment.
Consecutively, this means that the professionals on BetterHelp can prescribe no medications. Since medications can only be prescribed during psychiatry sessions, you should not expect to be given ones if you believe that that is necessary for you. By law, they cannot prescribe you anything since you are not attending psychiatric treatment.
How Are Ginger Online Treatment Sessions Different From The Ones Of Calmerry?
While Calmerry is quite similar to Ginger in the range of fields they address, they do not have psychiatry sessions the same way as BetterHelp. That means that you can greatly use video call therapies, but you will not go through a psychiatry treatment. This also means that you will not be able to be prescribed any medications if you need them.
Also, the Calmerry platform does not offer phone calls, while Ginger.io encourages patients to use this feature if they need to.
As you can see, Ginger.io offers a great variety of treatment methods that are not available in other online therapy programs. Since they include psychiatry sessions in their packages, that means that you can get prescribed any medications you need, as long as your psychiatrist agrees with the same.
Sources
- https://nowpsych.com/can-an-online-psychiatrist-prescribe-medication/
- https://www.ginger.com/faq
- https://www.verywellmind.com/best-online-therapy-4691206
- https://www.discovermagazine.com/sponsored/best-online-therapy-services-the-top-6-virtual-therapy-sites-and-apps