RALEIGH, N.C. — Psychiatrists say remote mental health treatment soared during the pandemic and it’s still booming now more than ever.

A study conducted by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology found 87% of office-based physicians used telemedicine in 2021 compared to 15% in 2018 and 2019.

Dr. Nate Sowa with UNC Health says using technology such as telehealth and virtual visits allows existing providers to reach a lot more patients than they did previously.

A study conducted by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology found 87% of office-based physicians used telemedicine in 2021 compared to 15% in 2018 and 2019.

In-person visits remain high. Sowa, a physician with the UNC Health Department of Psychiatry, says there’s been a surge in demand for behavioral health care and services.

“Unfortunately, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen huge increases in the amount of depression and anxiety symptoms amongst certain age groups, especially amongst young men and women, adolescents and in their early 20s,” said Sowa.

Sowa says using technology such as telehealth and virtual visits allows existing providers to reach more patients than they did previously.

“Especially individuals who live in rural communities who may not otherwise have access to care,” Sowa explained.

There can be barriers to telemedicine. Some patients said they encountered difficulties in using the technology, and others said limited internet access and speed were a problem.

“We continue to face some challenges. One of the things we realized during the pandemic, while those challenges still exist, [is] more people than we really thought could access virtual care,” Sowa said.

Sowa says they used telehealth to increase access to services within some of their UNC Heath-affiliated hospitals in rural areas, and are providing services to emergency departments.

They are trying to develop models where they’re providing telehealth psychiatrist services in schools in rural settings where kids may not have access to these resources.