Abstract
In this chapter the author gives the short review over wide range of telepsychiatry applications. Furthermore, describes completely new and innovative approach regarding assessment and/or treatment of asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in Europe. Experiences from both Danish telepsychiatry survey and the first international telepsychiatry collaboration in Europe ever, will be reviewed in this chapter. Numbers of benefits within mental health care systems all over the European Union can be achieved by establishing of an International European Telepsychiatry Network. The chapter ends by suggestions for future development within mental health services in EU.
TopIntroduction
The term “telepsychiatry” in this chapter refers to audio-video conferencing in real time.Telepsychiatry connects patients and mental health professionals, permitting effective diagnosis, treatment, education, transfer of medical data and other activities related to mental health care. Overall, studies confirm the notion that telepsychiatry assessments can produce reliable results, telepsychiatric services can lead to improved clinical status, and patients and clinicians are satisfied with treatment delivered via telepsychiatry (Simpson et al. 2001; Kopel et al., 2001; Bose et al., 2001; Bishop et al., 2002).
There are quite considerable possibilities that telepsychiatry presents to health care system, practitioners and patients. There is a number of published surveys on wide range of telepsychiatry applications such as:
- 1.
Assessment and/or treatment of diverse psychiatric disorders (Deitsch et al.2000; Hilty et al. 2000; Alessi 2002 ; Ruskin et al. 2004;)
- 2.
Supervision and education of clinicians and staff (Gammon et al. 1998)
- 3.
Forensic psychiatry (Zaylor et al. 2000; Brodey et al. 2000)
- 4.
Psychology (Koocher et al. 2000: Capner, 2000)
- 5.
Socialwork (McCarty et al. 2002)
- 6.
Military psychiatry *
- 7.
Geriatry (Tang et al. 2001; Yoshino et al. 2001)
- 8.
Cultural psychiatry (Mucic, 2007)
- 9.
Mental health service of individuals with hearing disabilities (Afrin et al. 1997)
Nevertheless, telepsychiatry can be cost-effective by reducing costs of transport for both clinicians/staff and the patient respectively (Hyler et al.2003).
However, the potential for ‘linking’ patients and clinicians by using video conferencing has not been explored in Europe in the same degree as in USA, Canada and Australia. The main explanation for minor telepsychiatry activities is higher accessibility to mental health services in Europe then in rural areas in Australia or Canada where telepsychiatry has been developed since 1959. European telepsychiatry pioneers are in Norway where rural areas’ need for specialists’ expertise has been partly satisfied via telepsychiatry. Aside from Norway, most recent telepsychiatry activities in Europe took/take place in England (McLaren et al. 2002),Finland (Sorvaniemi et al. 2005), Canary Islands (Cuevas C.et al. 2003), Sweden and Denmark (Mucic, 2007).
Key Terms in this Chapter
European Telepsychiatry Network: Network based on telepsychiatry provided exchange of professional resources, clinical and theoretical psycho-education and supervision of clinicians and stuff members. Furthermore, the network should be used in order to assess and/or treat wide range of psychiatric disorders in different patient population groups such as: asylum seekers, refugees and migrants; deaf individuals; individuals with diverse movement disabilities that results in transport limitations etc.
SDSL (Symmetric Digital Subscriber Lineis): A network connection with data rates between 72 and 2320 kbit/s. It runs over one pair of copper wires, with a maximum range of about 3 kilometres. The main difference between ADSL and SDSL is that SDSL has the same upstream data transfer rate as downstream (symmetrical), whereas ADSL always has smaller upstream bandwidth (asymmetrical). However, unlike ADSL, it can’t co-exist with a conventional voice service on the same pair as it takes over the entire bandwidth.
AES (Advanced Encryption Standard): Is a block cipher (a method for encrypting information) adopted as an encryption standard by the U.S. Government. AES has been analyzed extensively and is now used widely worldwide. In June 2003, the US Government announced that AES is secure ?enough to be used for classified, top secret information.
ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network): Is a circuit-switched telephone network system, designed to allow digital transmission of voice and data over ordinary telephone copper wires, resulting in better quality and higher speeds than that is available with the PSTN system. More broadly, ISDN is a set of protocols for establishing and breaking circuit switched connections, and for advanced call features for the user. In a videoconference, ISDN provides simultaneous voice, video, and text transmission between individual desktop videoconferencing systems and group (room) videoconferencing systems.
Mental Health Care: Individual or group care by credentialed or licensed psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, or other counsellors related to the mental health of the individual.
Mental Health: The successful performance of mental function, resulting in productive activities, fulfilling relationships with other people and the ability to adapt to change and cope with adversity. Also the psychological state of someone who is functioning at a satisfactory level of emotional and behavioural adjustment
Encryption: Is the process of transforming information to make it unreadable to anyone except those possessing a special key. Encryption has long been used by militaries and governments to facilitate secret communication. Encryption is now used in protecting information within ?many kinds of civilian systems, such as computers, networks, mobile telephones, and bank automatic teller machines.
Telepsychiatry: The use of telecommunication technologies with the aim of providing psychiatric services from a distance (Brown, 1998). By “telecommunication technologies” means the use of radio, TV, e-mail and finally videoconferencing. The most advanced form of telepsychiatry is video conferencing in real time. This means that the patient and the psychiatrist can both see and hear each other at the same time. Videoconferencing can be provided either via ISDN or via broadband internet.