Tumbling Into Telepsychiatry in the COVID-19 Era: Challenges and Hope

 ADHD in the News 2020-07-02


In this article, we focus on potential reasons why virtual encounters feel different, incomplete, or simply unsatisfying. We hypothesize that the “flavor” of a virtual encounter, just like a traditional one, is a conglomerate of physical/environmental factors, clinician-specific factors, patient factors, and the interactive process that includes both verbal and non-verbal elements. Drawing on psychoanalytic literature, we discuss the importance of the frame in interactions, and the impact of a rushed frame shift without preparation or training.