Consult a Psychiatrist Online, Anywhere in India

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who has specialised in mental health, and is the only professional in the team who can prescribe. A psychologist provides therapy; a psychiatrist assesses the medical side and manages medication. Many people benefit from both, working together.

At Rooh Mind Care psychiatric care sits alongside therapy rather than replacing it — which is the point of keeping both under one roof. If you are already in therapy here, your psychiatrist and your psychologist can coordinate, with your consent.

Most people now consult a psychiatrist online — by secure video, from anywhere in India. Our psychiatrist sees clients online only; if you need to be seen in person, we will tell you and help you find in-person care. This page explains how an online consultation works, what Indian telemedicine rules allow a psychiatrist to prescribe remotely, and when you should see someone face to face instead.

When a psychiatric consultation is the right call

• Symptoms that are not shifting with therapy alone — particularly moderate to severe depression or anxiety.
• Medication review — something you are already on is not working, or the side effects are not tolerable.
• Diagnostic clarity — where bipolar disorder, ADHD, OCD or a psychotic illness needs a medical opinion.
• Sleep that has broken down — persistent insomnia, or a reversed sleep cycle.
• Substance use and de-addiction — including safe management of withdrawal.
• Symptoms with a physical dimension — where thyroid, anaemia, medication interactions or another medical cause should be ruled out first.
• Child and adolescent psychiatry — where a young person's presentation needs a medical assessment.

How an online psychiatrist consultation works

1. Book a slot from the fees section and pay online. You will receive a confirmation and a secure Google Meet link.
2. Join by video from a private, quiet place, on a phone or laptop. Video — not just a phone call — matters: Indian rules require a live video consultation before most psychiatric medicines can be started remotely.[1][2]
3. The assessment. The psychiatrist confirms your identity and age, takes a history of your symptoms, past treatment, medical conditions and medication, and asks about risk. This is the same clinical assessment as an in-person appointment.
4. A plan. That may be a working diagnosis, a prescription, blood tests to rule out a medical cause, a referral to therapy, or a recommendation to be seen in person. Not every consultation ends in medication.
5. Prescription and follow-up. Where medication is appropriate and permitted remotely, you receive a signed digital prescription. A follow-up is scheduled to review how it is working and adjust the dose.

Online prescriptions: what Indian rules allow

Teleconsultation in India is governed by the Telemedicine Practice Guidelines, 2020, issued by the Board of Governors of the Medical Council of India and now part of the professional conduct rules for registered doctors.[1] For psychiatry they are supplemented by the Telepsychiatry Operational Guidelines, 2020, published by NIMHANS with the Indian Psychiatric Society and the Telemedicine Society of India.[2] Together they sort medicines into lists:[3]

In practice, this means an online psychiatrist in India can start and adjust most antidepressants and many other long-term treatments, but cannot prescribe medicines in Schedule X of the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules, 1945, and narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances listed under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 remotely. If one of those is clinically needed, an in-person appointment is required. A psychiatrist who prescribes them over a phone or video call is not following the rules.

Is online psychiatry as good as in person?

For most outpatient care, the evidence says yes. A review of key telepsychiatry outcomes found video consultations are reliable for assessment and diagnosis, produce clinical outcomes comparable to face-to-face care, and are well accepted by patients.[4] India's own guidelines were written precisely to make remote psychiatric care routine and safe.[2] Online consultation also removes the practical barriers that stop many people seeing a psychiatrist at all: travel, time off work, and being seen walking into a clinic.

When to see a psychiatrist in person

Our psychiatrist sees clients online only. In these situations an in-person psychiatrist near you is the right choice, and we will help you find one:

• Acute risk — active suicidal thoughts with a plan, severe agitation, or symptoms of psychosis where safety is uncertain. Use emergency services or the helplines below.
• A physical examination is needed — for example, to assess side effects or a possible medical cause.
• A medicine on the prohibited list is clinically indicated, or a List B medicine without a prior in-person visit.
• Reliable video is not possible, or you cannot find a private space to talk.

What the consultation covers

The consultation is 15 minutes and is deliberately focused. It is a medical appointment, not therapy: talking things through over weeks is what a session with one of our psychologists is for. To make good use of it:

• Have a list of current medications and doses, including anything from a physician or over the counter.
• Bring recent blood work if you have it — thyroid, B12, vitamin D and haemoglobin are the usual ones.
• Note when the symptoms started and what makes them better or worse.
• Mention any family history of mental illness you know of.

Follow-up consultations for medication review are usually shorter and less frequent once things are stable.

Who you would see

Fees

A medical consultation for diagnosis and medication. It is not therapy.

Pay now or pay later. Book a single session with just ₹2$1. It counts towards your fee, and you pay the rest before your session.

Medication itself is bought separately from a pharmacy and is not included. International fees are shown automatically on the homepage fees section.

Common questions