online doctor visit for anxiety

• LB Slimming Gummies
• Anxiety Treatment: Effective Strategies For Managing Symptoms
• Body+ Kapseln
• Green Gummies
• Neo Tropfen
• Keto-XP Fruchtgummis
• Liver Ignite
• Sumatra Slim Belly Tonic
• HepaLiv Avis
• Yummy Slim Gummies
• G7 Green Gummies Avis
• Neo Drops Avis
• Shape Capsules Avis
• KetoXplode Gevaarlijk
• Shape Kapseln
• BioXtrim Gummies
• Neo Drops Ervaringen
• Naturhof Leberkur
• Shape Capsules Ervaringen
• LeberSan Aktiv
• PhenQ Reviews
• B Extra Weight Loss Capsules Reviews
• BioXtrim Ervaringen
• NMN Supplement
• Genuine Purity NMN
• Best CBD Gummies For Anxiety
• Best Adderall Alternatives
• Best CBD Gummies for Sleep
• Best CBD Gummies for Men
• Best Testosterone Pills
• Best OTC Phentermine Alternatives
• Best Kratom Powder
• Best Berberine Supplements
• Best Online TRT Clinics
• Fountain TRT
• Ikaria Juice
• Quietum Plus
• Best Testosterone Booster
• Fast Lean Pro
• Kerassentials
• Best HGH Supplements
• Bio Complete 3

16 Best Online Anxiety Therapists

Find the best therapist or online service for you

We may receive compensation if you purchase products or services through these links.

• Over 4900 therapists with a minimum of a master’s degree: PhD, PsyD, LMFT, LCSW, LPC, LMSW
• Text messages, live chat, phone, video conference, app
• Prices from $40/week, billed monthly for basic subscription
• HIPAA compliant, secure, and anonymous

• Pricing plans begin at $65/week and go to $99/week/ billed monthly
• Text, video and audio messaging
• Separate platform for teens and also couples
• 5,000 licensed, credentialed providers

Online-Therapy.com

• Focused on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Self-help course with workbooks, activity plans, videos, and various tools
• Access to certified therapists via live chat, messaging
• 3 pricing plans starting from $39.95/week up to $79.95/week (not including 20% discount for the first month)

• Focused exclusively on relationship counseling
• Two users/couples can share a joint account
• Therapists are all licensed professionals with a minimum of 3 years and 2000 hours of practical experience
• 256-bit SSL Secure

Faithful Counseling

• Licensed therapists who are practicing Christians
• Phone, video, live chat, messaging
• $40-$70/week, billed monthly to your credit card
• Counseling from a biblical perspective

Pride Counseling

• Any gender, orientation, or identity in the LGBTQ community
• Therapists specialized in LGBTQ issues
• Anonymous and secure
• Phone, video, messaging, smartphone app

Teen Counseling

• Counselors talk directly to the teen, ages 13-19
• Prices begin at $40/week, billed monthly for basic subscription
• Discreet between teen and counselor; no access by parent
• Messaging, live chat, phone, and video

Prairie Health

• Meet with a psychiatrist specializing in mental health medications
• Free genetic test included to personalize treatment
• Online visits, medication delivery, and short appointment wait times
• Start with a free consultation to learn more

Presto Experts

• Pay by the minute; no subscription plan
• 20 therapists listed for “Anxiety and Stress”, from $1.65 to $4.99/minute
• Patient chooses expert based on profiles
• Claim more than 30,000 experts in over 600 categories including student tutoring

• $35/month for monthly visits by video or phone, and text support
• Medical doctors offering medications or CBT
• Treatment plan mapped out during initial visit with MD
• Monthly subscription includes cost of one prescription a month

Doctor On Demand

• $229 for initial psychiatry visit; less depending on insurance
• Therapy visits start at $79; no monthly subscription
• Visits are 15 minutes; can extend for additional fee
• Platform integrates to health plans

• $85 per session; no monthly commitment
• Text messaging and video; App-based
• Self-guided meditations, journaling, and mental health suggestions
• Therapy only; no prescriptions

eTherapyPro

• $40 per week; billed every four weeks
• Licensed therapists; not psychiatrists; no prescribing
• App with voice, message, and video
• Patient is matched with a therapist

• Coaches, not therapists
• Primarily designed for businesses and teams
• App-based coaching and therapy using CBT with online activities to reach goals
• Individual subscriptions at $99/month
• Licensed therapist visits starting at $85
• Psychiatrist visit at $199 for the initial visit and $99 for follow-up
• Web or app-based, with streaming video
• Psychiatrists will prescribe medications if appropriate
• Medical doctor visits for a variety of physicial conditions plus anxiety disorders
• For psychiatry, $259 for the initial visit and $99 for follow-up appointments
• Phone or video
• Choose your doctor from their network directory

With telehealth, mental health workers provide their services through an internet video service, streaming media, video conferencing, or wireless communication. This online therapy is particularly useful for patients that live in remote rural locations that are far from institutions that provide mental health services. Mental health providers that work in telehealth can only provide services to patients currently located in the state in which the provider is licensed.

Disclosure: This website and information may be used to connect you with a provider of therapy services. These are independent providers who are neither our employees nor agents nor representatives. Our role is strictly limited to providing information and access to them and we assume no responsibility or liability for the services provided.  This site contains links to several other websites.  We do not endorse, insure the accuracy of, or vouch for the safety and privacy of any linked sites nor do we assume any responsibility for the content found on those sites. While we hope the services are beneficial to you, you understand, agree and acknowledge that it is the responsibility of you, the user, to evaluate the content, services, and usefulness of the linked sites. We list services you might find helpful. If you subscribe, we may receive a small commission from a few of them.  This does not enter into our decision as to whether or not a service is listed.  We operate independently and have no ownership or equity interest in any of the organizations listed. We welcome your feedback.

Carla Nasca, Ph.D., is a post-doctoral fellow of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in the laboratory of Neuroendocrinology at the Rockefeller University, New York. Dr. Nasca received her B.A. in Molecular Biology and her M.S. in Electrophysiology from the University of Palermo in Italy. She earned her Ph.D. in Neurobiology and Pharmacology from the University Sapienza in Rome, Italy, before moving to The Rockefeller University under the mentorship of Dr. Bruce McEwen.

LEAVE A REPLY Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Subscribe Today

GET EXCLUSIVE FULL ACCESS TO PREMIUM CONTENT

Expert content on a wide variety of health topics. Always stay up to date!

* About our Privacy Policy

Exclusive content

Effective training to increase testosterone levels – we have all the answers 2024, the best testosterone supplements – increase your testosterone levels naturally 2024, testosterone injections – benefits, facts, side effects 2024.

More article

Women and low testosterone – what you need to know 2024.

Our content does not constitute medical advice and is for informational purposes only. Consult a licensed health care professional for medical advice/diagnosis.

Anxiety.org is a website that aims to provide comprehensive education on various health topics and help people navigate the overwhelming information overload. It presents the latest medical knowledge in a clear and accessible way, based on evidence-based sources.

Emotional Support Animal

HEART HEALTH

KIDNEYS STONE

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT

©Anxiety.org - About Us -  Contact -  Terms of Use - Privacy Policy - Write for Us

Online Anxiety Medication & Treatment

Online Anxiety Treatment

Get diagnosed by top-rated therapists and psychiatrists for help with managing your anxiety. Learn about different online anxiety treatment options, including therapy, self-help techniques, and anxiety medication.

For: Men, Women, Ages 18+ (Under 18 with parental consent)

Who is this right for?

Patients with anxiety are usually looking for guidance and medication on how to best manage their anxiety and depression symptoms. Symptoms of anxiety and anxiety disorder can include restlessness, irritability, uncontrollable feelings of worry, sleeping difficulties, rapid heart rate, panic attacks, nausea and cause cardiovascular, immune and respiratory changes. Some symptoms are more persistent and fall into specific categories.

You been previously diagnosed with anxiety disorder or are exhibiting anxiety symptoms and have questions about how to deal with them.

Open-minded

You’re willing to explore different coping strategies and/or medications for your anxiety.

Ongoing support

You’re looking for ongoing support and are committed to getting treatment using online therapy.

You are comfortable sharing your symptoms with an online provider in confidentiality.

Doctor On Demand is a covered benefit for over 98 million Americans. If you're covered by your employer or insurance, then you could pay $0. No insurance, no problem. You can use Doctor On Demand starting at $134 per therapy visit and $299 per psychiatry visit.

Commonly prescribed medications for anxiety include:

• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) like sertraline, fluoxetine, or escitalopram
• Hydroxyzine (Atarax and Vistaril)
• Beta-blockers
• Sertraline (Zoloft)
• Fluoxetine (Prozac)
• Escitalopram (Lexapro)
• Atomoxetine (Strattera)
• Venlafaxine (Effexor)
• Duloxetine (Cymbalta)
• Paroxetine (Paxil)
• Bupropion (Wellbutrin)

During a visit for anxiety disorder, patients can expect the clinician to:

Evaluate your symptoms to determine the best treatment plan for you, which may include therapy, medication, or a combination of both.

Offer coping strategies and self-help techniques to manage your anxiety symptoms, such as breathing exercises and stress reduction techniques.

Let you know if you’re eligible to receive a same-day prescription. However, your doctor will meet with you to determine if additional testing is needed.

Recommend regular follow-up appointments to monitor progress if needed.

Refer you to mental health professionals in your area for ongoing support.

Getting ready for your online anxiety visit with Doctor On Demand:

• Find a comfortable quiet space where you can speak freely about your symptoms
• Have your insurance information ready. If you don’t have insurance, you can skip this step
• A photo ID, like a driver's license or passport, may also be needed
• 5 to 10 minutes to answer questions about your symptoms and health history

Set up your account.

Once you finish registering, you’ll be able to see the cost of your visit.

See the next available provider or schedule your appointment.

Select your concern and answer a few questions to provide the doctor with some context.

Start your live virtual visit.

Meet with one of our board-certified doctors to have a prescription refilled or to get a new medication.

Top notch care! I wish I would have found this app sooner! Dr. Mayo was wonderful. Highly recommend for anyone who has anxiety when it comes to doctors because this was the most at ease I’ve ever felt at an appointment and it was with a new provider! Will absolutely use Doctor On Demand in the future.” 

—Ashley

“I’m absolutely loving Doctor On Demand! The doctors I’ve seen so far have been amazing and very tentative to my needs. I suffer from depression and anxiety and this fits me perfectly. I don’t have to get out, I’m in the comfort of my own home which works for me. I recommend Doctor On Demand for your healthcare needs.” 

—Tammy

"Treva is super! One of the few medical professionals who are upbeat and pleasant. Treva is thorough, she asks many questions, and explores other possible issues. Her insights and advice were clear and explained well. All my questions were answered and I have a much better understanding of my illness and way less anxiety.” 

—Joel

“Dr. Price is amazing. Suffering from anxiety and I was nervous about seeking treatment but Dr. Price is so friendly that I felt very relaxed speaking with him.”

—Mark

Top-rated providers

Get care from a team of doctors rated 4.9 out of 5 stars by patients just like you.

Same-day appointments, 24/7/365

Why wait to be seen? Connect to care in as little as 5 minutes.

Custom treatment plan

Get the right treatment option and prescription for your unique care needs.

Care at home or on the go

Connect with a provider from anywhere you have internet.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety can be described by a group of disorders that includes nervousness, fear, or worry. While anxiety can be normal in stressful situations such as public speaking, it can turn into anxiety disorders which go beyond the normal feelings of being anxious or nervous. Common well-defined anxiety disorders include Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia), Generalized Anxiety Disorder, and Panic Disorder.

What are the symptoms of anxiety?

Anxiety not only affects your mental health, but also has an impact on your physical health. Symptoms of anxiety can include restlessness, irritability, uncontrollable feelings of worry, sleeping difficulties, rapid heart rate, panic attacks, nausea, social phobias, cardiovascular, immune and respiratory changes. Some symptoms are more persistent and fall into specific categories for anxiety and anxiety disorder.

What kind of treatment is there for anxiety?

Anxiety treatment can include exercise, a healthy diet, and relaxation techniques. However, some anxiety disorders require more specific treatments such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) or CBT combined with medications. Given the impact that anxiety can have on your mind and body, it’s important to consult a professional who can work with you to provide the best treatment.

Our providers practice CBT and are available seven days a week. Click the link below to schedule an appointment.

How many visits should I expect to have with my doctor for anxiety symptoms?

It depends; you may have situational anxiety which may only require a few visits to determine some coping strategies or medications. However, you may experience symptoms that require long-term treatment. Your doctor or therapist will work with you to determine the best treatment.

What kind of therapist will treat my anxiety?

Our psychologists and psychiatrists have an average 15 years of experience. They are clinical experts in a variety of different specialties, such as anxiety.

We make it easy for you to browse and learn about our providers so you can find the perfect match. Each of our providers will work with you to set a plan and help you achieve the goals most important to you. You may choose your own therapist but availability is dependent on your location (what state you live in).

How do anxiety medications work?

You can be treated on an as-needed basis as symptoms arise, or you can be treated with a more preventive approach. In the latter case, your doctor may recommend daily medication to help avoid symptoms altogether.

Your First Therapy Session: What to Expect

4 Tips for Coping With Anxiety as We Start To Emerge From the Pandemic

Simple Tips to Help Manage Anxiety

• Type 2 Diabetes
• Heart Disease
• Digestive Health
• Multiple Sclerosis
• Diet & Nutrition
• Supplements
• Health Insurance
• Public Health
• Patient Rights
• Caregivers & Loved Ones
• End of Life Concerns
• Health News
• Thyroid Test Analyzer
• Doctor Discussion Guides
• Hemoglobin A1c Test Analyzer
• Lipid Test Analyzer
• Complete Blood Count (CBC) Analyzer
• What to Buy
• Editorial Process
• Meet Our Medical Expert Board

We independently evaluate all recommended products and services. If you click on links we provide, we may receive compensation. Learn more .

Best Online Therapy for Anxiety

Our picks for the best online therapy for anxiety to meet your needs

Online therapy can be a convenient, safe, and simpler way to access professional mental health care to treat your anxiety. Many of us experience anxiety from one time to another. Still, when anxiety symptoms interfere with your ability to function, you may need to seek the guidance of a mental health specialist. 

One option for care is to use an online therapy platform instead of visiting an office in person. Many can provide you with private access to a psychiatrist, psychologist, licensed therapist, or counselor from the convenience of your own home. Though the best service for you can depend on your unique needs and preferences, we’ve outlined a few options with our 10 picks for the best online therapy for anxiety. 

Best Online Therapy for Anxiety of 2024

• Most Comprehensive: Talkspace
• Best With Insurance: Brightside
• Best for Psychiatry: Talkiatry
• Best for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Online-Therapy.com
• Best for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): BetterHelp
• Best for Panic Disorder: LiveHealth Online
• Best for Agoraphobia: Calmerry
• Best for Postpartum Anxiety: Hers

When choosing an online therapy provider, we recommend that you read the company’s privacy guidelines before you sign up to better understand whether it is HIPAA-compliant and whether it shares any private information with third parties. There have been some concerns raised by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and several government officials about what user health information online therapy providers collect and what they do with any information they collect.

• Our Top Picks
• Online-Therapy.com
• LiveHealth Online
• See More (5)
• Compare Providers

Final Verdict

• Guide to Choosing

Methodology

Most comprehensive : talkspace.

• Price: $69-$109 a week for therapy, billed monthly; $65 for additional sessions
• Is Insurance Accepted?: Yes
• Type Of Therapy: Couples Therapy, Individual Therapy, Medication Management, Psychiatry, Teen Counseling

Talkspace provides anxiety-specific therapy and psychiatry services with clinicians who specialize in treating anxiety. It offers a variety of therapy types through various session formats, including messaging and live workshops, so you can be guaranteed to find a type of therapy that works for you and your anxiety symptoms.

Help via text, voice, video, or live workshops 

Medication management available

Accepts insurance

Has providers who specialize in treating anxiety

Customer service isn’t as helpful as others

Talkspace offers talk therapy and psychiatry and medication management services via its more than 5,000 mental health professionals, including counselors, licensed therapists, and psychiatrists who specialize in anxiety. In fact, from the get-go, you can tell Talkspace that you are “feeling anxious or panicky” in the very first step of the sign-up process, guaranteeing that Talkspace will connect you with a provider with expertise in treating these symptoms. Its platform is user-friendly and professional help is accessible thanks to its variety of session options, such as therapy chat sessions—which might feel more comfortable to those experiencing extreme anxiety than a video or phone call.

Depending on your needs and preferences, you can choose which pricing tier, therapy type, and qualified mental health expert suits you. Talkspace also offers couples therapy, allowing you to address your anxiety in the context of your relationship, as well as teen therapy, where your teen can address their anxiety symptoms with a provider who specializes in adolescent issues. Talkspace is also one of the few online therapy platforms that accept insurance, taking the worry of being able to afford therapy out of the equation for those with accepted insurance plans. These services make Talkspace the most comprehensive anxiety treatment available online.

Talkspace offers individual therapy for teens and adults, couples counseling, and psychiatry, including medication management. Its qualified mental health professionals hold at least a master’s degree and have had a minimum of 3,000 hours of clinical experience. Additionally, many are experienced in anxiety as well as phobias, mood disorders, and depression, which often crop up in conjunction with anxiety. 

Therapy types offered by Talkspace include cognitive behavioral therapy , interpersonal psychotherapy , person-centered therapy , mindfulness therapy , psychodynamic therapy , trauma-focused therapy , and more. Cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT, is considered a gold-standard treatment for anxiety, as it focuses on identifying negative and harmful thought patterns and reframing them in a healthier and more constructive way. This allows people with anxiety to confront their anxiety head-on and develop useful coping skills for when anxiety rears its ugly head.

Depending on the subscription plan you choose, through Talkspace’s platform, you can access your chosen mental health provider via text, live video, live audio, voice messaging, or live chat sessions, and also have access to live workshops. Within a few days of signing up, you’ll be scheduled for your first session with a therapist chosen for you by a qualified professional based on your intake (where you can specify that you are struggling with anxiety). 

You can also receive medication management through Talkspace’s psychiatry sessions. For some individuals with anxiety, Talkspace’s comprehensive approach that offers both medication and psychotherapy may be very beneficial.

Talkspace is one of the few online therapy providers that accept insurance. However, even without insurance, there are a range of subscription plans and options that can suit various budgets. 

You can choose from the following: 

• Therapy via messaging : Unlimited text, video, or audio messaging for $69 per week or $276 per month
• Live messaging and live therapy : Weekly 45-minute sessions (four per month) plus messaging for $99 per week or $396 per month
• Live messaging, live therapy, and weekly workshops : Live text and video sessions; $109 per week; $436 per month; this plan also includes live workshops
• Couples therapy: Unlimited text and live video therapy sessions per month for $109 per week or $436 per month
• Psychiatry : $299 for the initial visit and $175 for follow-up sessions

Talkspace does not offer free consultations, but it does provide free mental health screenings that can help you better understand your symptoms.

Of the 105 users of Talkspace who we surveyed, 91% rated the company as good, very good, or excellent overall, and 92% felt the same about the qualifications of the therapists found at this company. Fifty-five percent of Talkspace users reached out specifically for treatment for anxiety, speaking to how well Talkspace is able to address those symptoms. With this in mind, it makes sense that 82% of our surveyed users would recommend Talkspace to a friend or someone like them.

One of our reviewers of Talkspace was especially impressed with its accessibility, noting that “at Talkspace, you can get access to a provider within a day or two after signing up,” which “can be a huge benefit to users in therapy deserts, or areas where there are few to no accessible mental health professionals.”

Best With Insurance : Brightside

• Price: $95-$349 per month
• Type Of Therapy: Individual Therapy, Medication Management, Psychiatry

Brightside specializes in treating anxiety, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, agoraphobia, and social anxiety. It offers quick access to trained mental health professionals qualified to treat any type of anxiety, and its straightforward payment plans and insurance coverage make it a great choice for those who need to use their insurance to pay for their anxiety treatment.

Specializes in treating all forms of anxiety

Accepts insurance 

Psychiatrists can prescribe medication and make diagnoses

Can be paired with a therapist within a day

No phone sessions available 

Cost of medication is extra

Brightside offers a simple approach to therapy to treat anxiety; online psychotherapy, medication therapy, or both via a monthly subscription that is covered by many insurance plans. Though it doesn’t offer teen or couples counseling, Brightside does have licensed therapists with expertise in many forms of anxiety, including generalized anxiety, postpartum anxiety, social anxiety, agoraphobia, and panic disorders. 

The fact that Brightside accepts insurance sets it apart from most other online therapy companies—and even without insurance, its straightforward pricing is on par with other online therapy options. Most users appreciate convenient features such as a symptom tracker, which can help you monitor your progress with your anxiety symptoms as you proceed with therapy, and data-driven prescription technology, which guarantees that you’ll receive the type of medication that works best for you. 

Brightside provides adult therapy and psychiatry, specializing in anxiety and depression but also offering therapy for PTSD, postpartum depression, insomnia, OCD, and more. That makes Brightside a great choice for people who are dealing with more than one mental health condition. All of Brightside’s therapists are licensed and hold at least a master’s degree. Professional credentials include board-certified physicians, licensed therapists, psychiatrists, and psychiatric nurse practitioners. Its therapists use a version of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), an evidence-based treatment that has been proven especially effective for anxiety. You can also choose psychiatry sessions that include medication management. 

A professional will conduct your intake and pair you with a therapist based on your responses and geographic location. Once you are paired with your therapist, which can be as soon as the next day, you can schedule a live session. Live sessions occur via video, with unlimited messaging also available for contacting your therapist between sessions. If you are prescribed medication by a Brightside psychiatrist, its proprietary software, PrecisionRx, will help your prescriber analyze your needs to make a research-backed choice on which medication may be safest and most effective for you. Through the patient dashboard, you can keep track of symptoms and medication adjustments.

Brightside accepts insurance in addition to its weekly and monthly out-of-pocket prices, which are still more affordable than other online platforms, especially in psychiatry. You can choose from three subscription options: 

• Therapy : Four 45-minute live video sessions per month and unlimited messaging for $299
• Medication : $95 monthly plus your insurance’s pharmacy copay rate; includes shipment to pharmacy
• Therapy + medication : $349 monthly plus your insurance’s pharmacy copay rate

The fact that these subscription plans are covered by most major insurance companies makes Brightside our pick for best online anxiety treatment with insurance.

In addition, Brightside does offer a free online assessment.

A notable 60% of the 105 Brightside users we surveyed sought treatment with this company specifically for anxiety, speaking to its unique expertise in this condition. Eighty-nine percent of users rated Brightside as good, very good, or excellent overall, and 86% felt the same about their therapist’s qualifications. Thirty-five percent of users told us they’d still be using Brightside’s services in six months’ time, and 30% thought they’d still be seeing their Brightside therapist in one year.

One of our reviewers was especially impressed with the quality of care she received at Brightside, reporting that “both therapists I met with offered outstanding care, which likely has to do with their ten years of experience.” She felt that “they were kind and responsive, and my first therapist used the chat feature accessible in the portal to send me helpful worksheets on issues we had discussed after our session”—a between-session resource that someone battling with anxiety might find especially helpful.

Best for Psychiatry : Talkiatry

• Price: Depends on your insurance
• Is Insurance Accepted?: Yes. BCBS, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Tricare, Medicare, and others

Talkiatry offers online psychiatry appointments with psychiatrists specializing in anxiety for anyone age 5 and up. Its sessions range from 30 to 60 minutes in length, which is longer than other online psychiatry options and provides more time to delve into your anxiety symptoms and possible medication treatments. In addition, unlike almost every other online psychiatry service, Talkiatry can prescribe controlled substances as treatment for anxiety.

Comprehensive 60-minute appointments

Accepts major insurance plans

Sends prescriptions to your pharmacy

Can prescribe controlled substances

Opaque pricing

Not available in every state

Talkiatry specializes in psychiatry and can prescribe and manage medications to treat anxiety, including controlled substances like benzodiazepines, which are fast-acting medicines used to treat acute anxiety. Because this type of medication can be habit-forming, most online psychiatry companies cannot prescribe them, as they require a higher level of oversight than other non-controlled substances do—oversight that is just not within the capabilities of most online services.

However, Talkiatry makes these medications accessible by providing comprehensive hour-long initial psychiatric consultations and follow-up appointments twice as long as most other companies. This is great news for anyone who has exhausted other medication options in their anxiety treatment and who needs the next step up in their medication regimen.

Talkiatry offers psychiatric services for anyone age 5 and older who is living with various mental health challenges, including generalized anxiety disorder and panic disorder, as well as PTSD, ADHD, and more. If your psychiatrist feels that you would benefit from talk therapy as well, they can refer you to a Talkiatry therapist.

The company uses a third-party app, Healow, from which you can see appointments, medical records, and other information. Psychiatry appointments are via video sessions. However, in-app messaging is also available to reach your psychiatrist between appointments.

Talkiatry only works with insurance and does not offer out-of-pocket prices, so you must have insurance to use its services. The fee per session depends on your insurance copay and deductible. Though the company cannot provide rates upfront, it can estimate your copay before you schedule an appointment if you provide your insurance information.

An impressive 96% of the 105 Talkiatry users we surveyed rated it as good, very good, or excellent overall, with 89% feeling similarly about its psychiatric and medication management services in particular. Fifty-six percent of users sought treatment for anxiety through Talkiatry, and 92% felt the qualifications of its providers were excellent, very good, or good.

Our Talkiatry reviewer was “overwhelmingly impressed” with Talkiatry’s services, and made a point to mention that “both the intake and the sessions at the company are long and thorough, allowing your psychiatrist the time to really get to know you and diagnose you accurately”—which is especially important if you are considering taking a controlled substance for anxiety.

Best for Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) : Online-Therapy.com

• Price: $200-$440 per month
• Is Insurance Accepted?: No
• Type Of Therapy: Couples Therapy, Individual Therapy

Online-Therapy.com specializes in cognitive behavioral therapy—the gold standard in talk therapy when treating anxiety—and makes sure that every therapist has CBT training in order to provide top-quality anxiety treatment. Its online therapy toolkit also represents its CBT mission and includes many self-help items, which can be especially useful for someone with anxiety who needs to practice their coping skills between sessions.

Specializes in CBT, the gold standard for treating anxiety

CBT training required for every counselor

Responsive therapists

Offers self-help tools and strategies

Adults only

Does not accept insurance

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is the main focus of Online-Therapy.com , which makes Online-Therapy.com especially useful when treating anxiety, as CBT is the go-to therapeutic modality for this condition. All of Online-Therapy.com’s mental healthcare professionals have gone through CBT training, guaranteeing that you will find a provider who can treat anxiety effectively using this evidence-based industry standard. Once you sign up, Online-Therapy.com will pair you with a therapist who is not only an expert in CBT but who is very responsive. This is particularly useful when you are learning how to manage your anxiety symptoms and may require some support from your provider between symptoms. Additionally, your therapist can give you self-help tools specifically pertinent to managing anxiety that you can practice between sessions.

Online-Therapy.com offers CBT to treat a variety of conditions, including anxiety, for which CBT is particularly effective. It pairs you with a certified counselor with CBT training. Once paired, you can access your therapist via phone, chat, or video. Sessions are 45 minutes in length, and you also get unlimited messaging with your provider throughout the week, which can feel bolstering when practicing CBT management exercises between sessions. 

You can also access a “toolkit” that consists of a journal, worksheets, and yoga videos, all designed to help you deal with your anxiety symptoms day-to-day. 

Online-Therapy.com does not offer psychiatry services or provide medication management.

Online-Therapy.com has subscription tiers offering weekly or monthly sessions. It does not offer per-session payment options or accept insurance. Subscription costs are as follows: 

• Basic : $50 per week or $200 per month, including unlimited messaging, an 8-stage CBT program, the self-help kit, and daily replies from your therapist to your worksheets (on weekdays)
• Standard : $80 per week or $320 per month; includes the basic plan plus one weekly 45-minute video, voice, or text session with your therapist
• Premium : $110 per week or $440 per month; includes the basic plan plus two weekly 45-minute video, voice, or text sessions with your therapist
• Couples : $110 per week or $440 per month; includes the basic plan (for each individual) plus one weekly 45-minute couples video, voice, or text session with your therapist.

Eighty-nine percent of the 105 Online-Therapy.com users we surveyed rated the qualifications of its therapists (in this case, specialists in CBT) as good, very good, or excellent, supporting its efficacy as a treatment for anxiety. Similarly, 85% of users rated Online-Therapy.com’s overall service positively, and 32% and 30% reported that they felt they’d still be with their therapist in six months’ or one year’s time, respectively. Fifty-three percent of users said they sought treatment with Online-Therapy.com specifically for anxiety.

Our reviewer of this company felt that “much is positive about Online-Therapy.com,” including its CBT-specific services, though she was concerned that some of its therapists seemed to be practicing outside the states in which they were licensed; be sure to specifically ask about who is licensed in your area when seeking services here. However, this reviewer did interview an Online-Therapy.com provider who spoke highly of her experience with the company, saying “Not only can I connect with a client from anywhere, anytime, I can also choose the means of connecting (through video, voice call, or live chatting)”—a wealth of choice for people looking for convenient anxiety treatment.

Best for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) : BetterHelp

• Price: $70 to $100 per week
• Type Of Therapy: Individual Therapy

BetterHelp is the world’s largest online therapy platform, making it a suitable option for those with various forms of anxiety, as you can be guaranteed to connect with a therapist who specializes in this condition. Its comprehensive approach, which includes group sessions, can also be beneficial for someone with anxiety, who might need peer support along with individual therapy. 

Therapists who specialize in anxiety

Weekly individual therapy and group sessions

Unlimited messaging with therapist

Financial assistance available

No medication management

BetterHelp is one of the most popular and wide-reaching online therapy platforms. Its expansive offering of trained professionals offering individual and group therapy sessions can connect you with a therapist who specializes in anxiety, who can therefore effectively help you better understand and manage your anxiety. Community support also sets BetterHelp apart from other online therapy platforms. It can be a game-changer for someone with anxiety to know that you are not alone in your symptoms. Hearing other people’s advice regarding everyday skills and coping mechanisms for anxiety can be particularly useful. 

Each therapist at BetterHelp has at least a master’s degree. However, many have a doctoral degrees and psychologists, licensed marriage and family therapists, clinical social workers, or licensed professional therapists. Furthermore, all therapists have at least 1,000 clinical hours and three years of experience, so you can be sure that whichever therapist you work with is licensed and qualified to treat you and your anxiety. Along with individual video, audio, or chat sessions, unlimited messaging provides instant access to your therapist, which can be helpful to someone in the throes of an anxiety attack. Changing therapists is simple, and there is no limit on how many times you can switch. This ensures that you can easily find a therapist that’s right for you, even if you don’t land on them the first time around. 

BetterHelp therapists offer weekly video, phone, or text sessions. You can message your therapist anytime, and they will respond, usually within hours (but allow a day or two). Community support is available through weekly group therapy sessions, though attendance is optional, meaning you might not be speaking with the same group of peers every time you join. 

Therapists cannot make a diagnosis, prescribe medication, or offer medication management.  BetterHelp offers CBT, mindfulness therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), all evidence-based treatments for anxiety, as well as emotion-focused therapy (EFT), trauma-focused therapy, and more. Each session lasts from 30 to 45 minutes. 

BetterHelp states that costs can range from $240 to $360 per month, with each weekly session costing $60 to $90. However, your actual cost will depend on your geographic location, preferences, and available therapists in your state. It’s important to note that BetterHelp practices surge pricing. This means that the higher the demand for BetterHelp’s services in your area, the more you will pay for those services.

BetterHelp does not take insurance, but its website notes that you can download your itemized invoice and submit the claim to your insurance company; BetterHelp cannot file a claim directly. Financial help is available in the form of financial aid; ask about this before signing up.

A notable 63% of the 105 BetterHelp users we surveyed sought therapy specifically for anxiety, and 86% rated its services as good, very good, or excellent overall. Eighty-six percent of users also rated the qualifications of BetterHelp’s therapists as excellent, very good, or good, and 79% said they would recommend BetterHelp to a friend or someone like them.

Our reviewer of BetterHelp noted that its widespread reach is one of BetterHelp’s biggest selling points, noting that “The company is available to users worldwide, and it quickly matches users with a therapist,” which is “important considering there can be long wait times with private practices.” She also mentioned that this “is helpful for those who live in therapy deserts, where there are few therapists in the area.”

Best for Panic Disorder : LiveHealth Online

• Price: $80-95 per therapy session; $175 or less for an initial psychiatry session; $75 per follow-up
• Type Of Therapy: Children's Therapy, Couples Therapy, Family Therapy, Individual Therapy, Medication Management, Psychiatry, Teen Counseling

LiveHealth Online states explicitly that it specializes in treating panic attacks, and can provide both therapy and psychiatry services to treat panic disorders.

Specializes in treatment for panic attacks

Designed for single sessions

Easy-to-use app and website

24/7 medical services

Longer wait for an appointment

LiveHealth Online works with licensed psychologists and psychiatrists to offer 45-minute therapy sessions for issues like panic attacks as well as general anxiety and related conditions such as stress and grief. Its panic-related therapy services are accessible to anyone age 10 and above, making this a particularly good resource for families who might have a child experiencing panic attacks or more than one member of the family dealing with a panic disorder. As a subset of Health Management Corporation, it also offers 24/7 medical services via telehealth. 

You can get prescriptions through its psychiatry services, making it a suitable option for those who desire talk therapy and medication. However, LiveHealth’s psychiatry services are only available for adults age 18 and over. Still, providing therapy for kids and teens ages 10 and up sets LiveHealth apart from most online therapy platforms.

The self-pay cost will be affordable for some, but LiveHealth accepts insurance as well. There are no subscription or upfront costs, making this a friendlier option for those who want to try out therapy before committing to a plan. It does not offer messaging, likely due to its single-session format.

LiveHealth Online offers licensed therapists and psychologists and board-certified psychiatrists for individual therapy or psychiatry and medication management sessions. LiveHealth notes that both individual therapy and psychiatry can be helpful for panic attacks, as well as anxiety, grief, stress, and coping. Treatment is via a live video session.

LiveHealth Online accepts Anthem insurance only, and you may have a copay or deductible to meet. Its 45-minute single-session flat rates are as follows: 

• Licensed therapist : $80
• Licensed psychologist : $95
• Psychiatrist : $175
• Psychiatrist follow-up : $75

According to our survey of 105 LiveHealth Online users, 56% sought treatment specifically for anxiety. Regarding the qualifications of the providers at the company, an impressive 92% of users rated them as good, very good, or excellent, and 87% felt the same about LiveHealth’s psychiatric services in particular. Overall, 90% of users rated LiveHealth Online as excellent, very good, or good.

Our reviewer was especially impressed with the ease with which you can switch providers (a situation you might face in your search for the right therapist), specifically noting that “Switching therapists can be difficult and even awkward on other mental health platforms, so I found this step refreshingly easy.” This speaks to why 80% of users said they found a provider who met most or all of their needs.

Best for Agoraphobia : Calmerry

• Price: $198 for a monthly subscription (Messaging only); $295 for a monthly subscription (Messaging plus one video chat per month); $269 for a monthly subscription (Messaging plus four video chats per month)
• Is Insurance Accepted?: No. Can provide superbill for reimbursement

Calmerry doesn’t require you to venture to a therapist's office or even meet with another person face-to-face (via video) if you don’t want to. Its messaging-focused therapy service allows you to reach out to your mental health professional whenever you want to from wherever you are. This makes it especially useful for people with agoraphobia, who have a specific fear of something bad happening when in a public place.

Messaging services make treatment for agoraphobia easy and convenient

Self-help tools available

Calmerry predominantly relies on text therapy through unlimited messaging. Not having to leave your home or having to voice or video chat with your therapist can be less stressful for those with agoraphobia, which is a specific overwhelming fear of something bad happening when you are in a public place. Its online platform is not the most streamlined, but you can sign up to be matched with a therapist. Calmerry's licensed professionals are versed in various conditions, including all forms of anxiety, and you can indicate that you are looking for a therapist with a particular expertise, making it easy to connect with a provider who can help you with agoraphobic symptoms. 

Calmerry does not accept insurance, but you can choose different price point options via its subscription plans. As a bonus, it provides self-help tools like worksheets and tests, which can be especially useful to those who need to practice their anxiety-coping skills in between sessions.

Calmerry's licensed professionals have experience in anxiety as well as stress, depression, relationships, self-esteem, and more—all of which can be caused by or affected by agoraphobia. Calmerry primarily focuses on text therapy, but you can also get live video sessions if you feel they would be helpful. You get access to self-help tools as well that can support the work you are doing in your therapy sessions. 

However, Calmerry does not explicitly state what therapy it provides, such as CBT or DBT, and it does not offer psychiatry or medication management.

Calmerry’s subscription plans are divided into three categories so that you can choose one based on your needs and preferences. 

• Messaging only : Unlimited text, video, or audio messages for $228 per month
• Messaging plus one live video chat : $298 per month 
• Messaging plus four live video chats : $360 per month 

Every membership level can access Calmerry’s self-reflection tools.

Eighty-six percent of 105 surveyed users of Calmerry rated its services as good, very good, or excellent overall, with 35% seeking therapy for anxiety through this company. Eighty-three percent were able to find a provider who met all or most of their needs, and 86% rated their therapist’s qualifications as good to excellent.

Our Calmerry reviewer was happy with the services she received, saying that “Overall, I felt my therapist was able to meet and address my specific needs.” Specifically, she was pleased that “my therapist and I were able to make a connection and find some common ground,” and felt that her therapist “was good at relating and identifying with the things I was experiencing.” This is all extremely helpful when developing a rapport with your therapist, especially if you are dealing with anxiety.

Best for Postpartum Anxiety : Hers

• Price: $99 per therapy session; $85 per month for medication management
• Type Of Therapy: Individual Therapy, Medication Management

Hers is focused on women and female-identifying clients, making it ideal for mothers and birthing parents with postpartum anxiety. It’s accessible and straightforward, offering various therapy options, including psychotherapy and medication management, that specifically treat postpartum anxiety.

Tailored to women and female-identifying individuals

Offers treatment specific to postpartum anxiety

Offers psychiatry and mediation management

Flexible pay-per-session model

No chat or messaging features

Therapist availability based on location

Hers Therapy offers individual psychotherapy and psychiatry, including care specific to postpartum anxiety, as well as treatment for physical conditions like acne, hair loss, and sexual health. Designed to make mental health care accessible and convenient, it prides itself on providing talk therapy through video sessions hosted on its platform. Many therapists have experience and expertise with postpartum conditions like anxiety and depression.  

Therapists may also provide homework and self-help tools to work on outside of sessions, which can be helpful to someone seeking to practice their anxiety management skills between sessions, as Hers does not offer messaging. Its per-session model allows you to seek therapy as you wish and switch therapists if necessary, since establishing a therapeutic rapport with your provider is an integral part of therapy for anxiety.

Hers does not explicitly state what types of therapy it has other than individual talk therapy and psychiatry sessions. However, the website does indicate therapists are trained in anxiety (including postpartum anxiety), depression, postpartum issues, burnout, stress, worry, and trouble focusing. All therapy is conducted through live video sessions, though some therapists may provide self-help tools and homework activities to support clients between sessions.

Hers does not accept insurance or offer subscriptions, opting instead for a pay-per-session model. The cost depends on the type of service:

• Talk therapy : $99 per 50-minute session 
• Psychiatry : $85 per month

Discounts are available when you sign up for more than one month.

Sixty-one percent of the 105 Hers users we surveyed reported that they turned to Hers for help with anxiety, with another 3% specifically mentioning a need for postpartum services, including postpartum anxiety and depression (though many might not have differentiated between the two categories). Still, 72% of our surveyed users were able to find a provider who met most or all of their needs, and 91% rated Hers’ services as good, very good, or excellent overall.

Our tester of Hers was happy with the services she received from the company, reporting that “during my therapy sessions, I found my provider attentive and knowledgeable.” She also spoke to the additional support and resources she was provided, explaining that her therapist “not only affirmed what I was experiencing but also shared homework I could realistically incorporate into my busy lifestyle.”

Compare the Best Online Therapy for Anxiety of 2024

While many helpful online therapy platforms are available, our pick for the most comprehensive online therapy for anxiety is Talkspace . Its multiple methods to obtain therapy, including voice, text, and video, coupled with options for pricing plans and insurance acceptance, make it an affordable and exhaustive therapy option for most. The fact that it also provides psychiatry and medication management for those who desire a combination of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy stands it apart from the rest. 

Still, there are other online therapy platforms that may be better suited to specific needs, like Hers Therapy for postpartum anxiety, Brightside for those who need to use insurance to pay for services, and Talkiatry for psychiatric care. With this complete list, you’ll be able to find therapy for your anxiety no matter what you require.

Guide to Choosing the Best Online Therapy for Anxiety 

What types of therapy for anxiety are offered.

Individuals with anxiety often benefit from psychotherapy. However,  there are different types of therapy , and it is important to find which therapy methods work best for you. Common therapy types for anxiety include cognitive behavioral therapy ( CBT ), dialectical behavior therapy ( DBT ), psychodynamic therapy , interpersonal psychotherapy ( IPT ), and exposure therapy . 

In addition to talk therapy, you may benefit from medication or pharmacotherapy. If you are seeking medication, looking for an online therapist who can offer medication management and write prescriptions is important. Generally, this will be a psychiatrist. Many individuals with anxiety may benefit from a combination of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy, making it crucial to find an online therapy platform that offers both. 

Finally, treatment for anxiety may also come through lifestyle changes and mind-body strategies. While these may not be primary services provided by online therapy platforms, you can seek out online therapy that offers self-help tools or “homework” exercises that include these techniques.

Comparing Online Therapy for Anxiety

There are many aspects of care to consider when choosing an online therapy company to treat your anxiety. These include:

Price : Therapy can range from $60 to $250 or more , with the average cost falling between $100 and $200. If you plan to attend regular therapy sessions, you may want to choose a subscription plan that is more affordable than per-session fees. Additionally, check for any upfront or add-on fees aside from the session rate. Cost can be one of the biggest roadblocks to mental health care. However, online therapy can be more affordable than some in-person offices.  Type of therapy : It can be challenging to decipher which type of therapy online platforms offer. Some, like Online-Therapy.com, explicitly advertise the types of therapy offered. Review the platform's page and therapist profiles if a certain approach is important to you. Sometimes, you may need to try out a therapist or two before finding a suitable one. 

Specialization : When looking for treatment for anxiety, make sure the company offers services that address that specific issue. This can be especially important when seeking treatment for different kinds of anxiety, like panic attacks or postpartum anxiety. Scheduling : Online therapy can be more flexible than traditional in-person care. Some platforms offer night and weekend sessions. However, there will be limits depending on your particular therapist's availability.  Location : Not all online therapy platforms are available in every state, even though virtual sessions are available. Furthermore, even if therapy is offered in your state, your geographic location can limit the number of therapists you can pair with. Before signing up, check the availability feature to ensure that therapy is possible in your location. Method of counseling : Online therapy commonly takes place via text, audio, or video messaging or through live video sessions. Deciding what type of therapy is most helpful to you is crucial. Most online therapy platforms may offer a combination, such as messaging with one weekly live video session. However, some do not provide services other than video sessions, so review a company's therapy offerings. Ease of switching therapists : The bond between a patient and therapist is essential. Yet it can be tricky to find a therapist you can build a relationship with, especially virtually. Therefore, consider how easy the platform makes it to switch therapists. Check for fees, lengthy processes, or roadblocks to finding a new provider. 

Provider diversity : Is there a therapist or psychiatrist at the company that shares one or more of your identities, such as your culture, your gender or sexuality, or your religion? Having something in common may make it easier to open up to and trust your practitioner. Insurance : Some online therapy platforms accept most major insurance plans, others do not, and a handful only accept a few specific providers. If your insurance covers mental health, finding an online therapy service that takes your insurance can mean you only need to pay the copay or meet the deductible instead of paying out of pocket for each session. Online platforms should make it clear whether or not they accept insurance.  Medication management : Typically, psychiatrists provide medication management, which not every therapy platform offers. Check the website to see whether a company has psychiatrists or other professionals who provide medication management. Privacy and licensure: There are varying levels of privacy standards that protect patients and therapists. At minimum, ensure that your platform is HIPAA-compliant (the federal law protecting personal health information). Additionally, check that your therapist is licensed and experienced. Most websites will have standards their therapist must meet, such as holding a master’s degree and having completed at least 1m000 clinical hours.

What If I'm Having Thoughts of Harming Myself?

What if i'm having thoughts of harming myself.

Most online therapy companies cannot provide appropriate services for crisis situations. If you are having thoughts of harming yourself or others, seek emergency care through support systems like the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration ( SAMHSA ) national hotline, 1-800-622-HELP. You can also text HOME to the Crisis Text Line at 741741.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the symptoms of anxiety.

“Some of the most common symptoms include: rapid breathing, nervousness, excessive worry, sweating, difficulty sleeping, or panic,” explains Nic Hardy , PhD, LCSW, and subject matter expert.  

Other anxiety symptoms are:  

• Irritability
• Difficulty concentrating
• Headaches, stomach aches, or unexplained pain
• Pounding heart
• Feelings of impending doom
• Feelings of loss of control
• For social anxiety or panic disorder, irrational or excessive fears about encountering a feared object or situation

Hardy says that “the frequency and severity of these symptoms plays a large role in determining the type of anxiety,” and symptoms can vary based on the type of anxiety. Symptoms can interfere with your daily routine and activities and can be difficult to control.

Is Online Therapy Effective for Anxiety?

Studies show online therapy is as effective as traditional therapy. Online therapy isn’t suitable for everyone, but for some, it can make therapy more accessible and, therefore, more likely to happen. For individuals with anxiety who may not feel comfortable leaving their home or talking to someone in person, online therapy can allow them to chat or video message their therapist, easing some of these concerns. 

“Talking with a therapist online may help an individual identify irrational thoughts, or consider a new, healthier perspective,” Hardy explains. “Online therapy also provides a convenient way to get counseling support and eliminates several barriers associated with visiting a therapist in person, such as traffic, scheduling limitations, etc.”

Does Insurance Cover Online Therapy for Anxiety?

Insurance coverage for online therapy depends on your insurance provider and your online therapy platform. Check with both to make sure you are covered.

What Kind of Therapy Is Right for You?

There are a few different therapeutic modalities that are especially effective in treating anxiety:

• Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most common therapies for anxiety. “CBT addresses cognitive distortions and can help individuals with unhealthy thought patterns,” says Hardy. “This form of therapy can also give individuals a new perspective, and challenges false beliefs.”   
• Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an offshoot of CBT, and strives to help patients develop a healthier outlook on their anxiety, accept it, and then implement strategies for change. It uses tools like mindfulness and emotional regulation to help patients accept themselves while working on their anxiety. 
• Exposure therapy is a "systematic process for gradually introducing clients to the ‘thing’ that is creating anxiety,” Hardy explains. “This can be beneficial for individuals who have different phobias, PTSD, and/or social anxiety.” 
• Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) theorizes that anxiety can stem from living a life that doesn’t match your values. Therefore, it uses a viewpoint of acceptance of and commitment to determined values to help patients recognize their values and adjust their behaviors and thoughts to align with them.

Are There Downsides to Online Therapy?

The downsides to online therapy often center around technological glitches and limitations. If the platform is down, your internet disconnects, or the video feature isn’t working, you cannot receive the help you need. Additionally, text- or chat-only therapy may make conveying feelings or putting complex thoughts into words difficult and limiting for some. Patients may have a more challenging time connecting with their therapist virtually, and text-only conversations can be susceptible to miscommunication. Additionally, the ability to communicate non-verbally—say, a therapist being able to read their patient’s body language—is especially important in therapy, and this is limited by the size of the computer screen.

We reviewed numerous online therapy platforms, taking an in-depth look at multiple factors like cost, ease of use, accessibility, features, the flexibility of scheduling, insurance acceptance, user satisfaction, and accreditation. We also consulted with experts to learn what therapies are available and which type of therapy is best for different anxiety disorders. 

While the best online therapy for anxiety depends on your specific needs and preferences, a variety of communication methods, insurance acceptance, and the quality of the therapist tend to be favored over costs or flexibility of scheduling, though we do recognize that these factors are very important to many and may even represent the difference between accessing services and going without. Keeping the various types of anxiety and reasons why you may seek therapy in mind, we opted to include a broad range of platforms and companies with various types of therapy offered through different methods, highlighting a range of price points. We strived to not exclude any platform based on its therapy type or cost, but to make the list, it had to be reputable and specifically treat anxiety in some measure.

Kaczkurkin AN, Foa EB. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders: an update on the empirical evidence . Dialog Clin Neurosci. 2015;17(3):337-46. doi:10.31887/DCNS.2015.17.3/akaczkurkin

Crits-Christoph P, Rieger A, Gaines A, Gibbons MBC. Trust and respect in the patient-clinician relationship: preliminary development of a new scale . BMC Psychol . 2019;7(1):91. doi:10.1186/s40359-019-0347-3

American Psychological Association. What you need to know before choosing online therapy .

National Institute of Mental Health. Anxiety disorders .

Singh S, Sagar R. Online psychotherapy during the COVID-19 pandemic: the good, the bad, and the ugly . Indian J Psychol Med . 2022;44(2):177-180. doi:10.1177/02537176211070427

By Nicole M. LaMarco Nicole M. LaMarco has 19 years of experience freelance writing for various publications. She researches and reads the latest peer-reviewed scientific studies and interviews subject matter experts. Her goal is to present that data to readers in an interesting and easy-to-understand way so they can make informed decisions about their health.

Does Anxiety keep you from doing what you love?

Online doctor consultations for only $50. No insurance needed. Get anxiety treatment online and have the prescribed medication sent to a pharmacy of your choice. We treat three different types of anxiety: Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), Social Anxiety Disorder, and Panic Disorder.

How it Works

Step 1: intake form .

Complete a quick online intake visit form, anywhere on your phone or computer.

Step 2: Online Visit

Complete a phone or online visit with an experienced online doctor for anxiety.

Step 3: Prescription

Get an anxiety medication prescription online. We send prescriptions to your selected pharmacy. If we are unable to treat you for some reason, you will be issued a full refund.

Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) Causes and Treatment

This is one of the most common mental disorders. It is twice as common in women than in men. Many times, it is accompanied by major depression. It is also associated with substance abuse, post traumatic stress disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. GAD is characterized by excessive and persistent worrying that is hard to control causing significant distress or impairment.

Signs and Symptoms

• Apprehensiveness
• Irritability  

Somatic Symptoms

• Muscular tension  

Social Anxiety Disorder Causes and Treatment

Social Anxiety Disorder, also called social phobia, is a common psychological disorder that affects more than 15 million Americans. It is an intense anxiety or fear of being judged, negatively evaluated, or rejected in a social or performance situation. It may also be associated with major depression and other mental health disorders. The onset of Social Anxiety Disorder usually occurs around teen years. Those who suffer from this disorder are aware of their anxiety; however, they feel powerless against their situation.

• Fast Heartbeat
• Trembling 
• Upset Stomach/Nausea
• Trouble Catching breathe
• Muscle Tension
• Fear of interacting with others
• Fear of a situation being judged
• Worrying about humiliating oneself
• Avoiding doing or speaking for fear of embarrassment
• Enduring a social situation with intense fear or anxiety

Panic Disorder Causes and Treatment

People who suffer with Panic Disorder may experience panic attacks or recurrent panic attacks, some of which may have no triggers or be unexpected; it may continue for months of either worry about the future attacks/consequences or a significant change in behavior related to the attacks such as precipitating circumstances. A person with panic disorder may become discouraged and feel ashamed because he or she cannot carry out normal routines like going to school or work, going to the grocery store, or driving. Panic disorder often begins in the late teens or early adulthood. More women than men have panic disorder.

• Spontaneous discrete episodes of intense fear that begin abruptly and last for several minutes to hours
• Recurrent panic attacks
• Chest pain and shortness of breath
• Agoraphobia- anxiety about certain situations
• History of Suicidal Ideation or Homicidal Ideation 
• Panic Attack

Can I get diagnosed with anxiety online?

Yes, you can get an online diagnosis. Your doctor will look at symptoms, medical history, and current medications just as an in-person physician would. This can determine the next best course of action for you.

How soon will you contact me after I complete the intake form?

When you complete our online intake form, medical providers assess and review it within two hours, contacting you directly if more information is needed.

What can I expect from a session?

In the phone or online visit with a doctor from Doctor Alexa, you can expect to answer a series of diagnostic questions about your history, situation, and symptoms. This makes it possible to make an accurate diagnosis, with prescriptions as necessary.

Can online doctors prescribe anxiety medication online?

Yes, you can get anxiety medication online through our doctors. Note, however, they do not prescribe drugs classified as controlled substances such as Xanax, Valium, Klonopin, Ativan, and Lorazepam.

Where can I pick up my prescription?

We send your prescription to your selected pharmacy.

How long does it take for anxiety medication to work?

Because every person is different, results from medication vary by individual. That said, most patients feel better within eight to 12 weeks.

Will my information be kept confidential?

Absolutely. We keep your consultation completely confidential, never share data with third parties, and encrypt all data provided on DoctorAlexa.com.

Request a consultation for Generalized Anxiety Disorder!

Meet with an online doctor over video for anxiety diagnosis and treatment today

Circle Medical's team of board-certified and empathetic providers are standing by to help you. Attend a same-day appointment from the comfort and privacy of your own home.

HIPAA compliant

Available over video and in person

LegitScript certified

Fully licensed medical practice

Same-day appointments available

Let's get you the help you need.

Dr. Amanda Lerner

What to expect.

During your initial visit with a provider of your choice, you will review your medical history and experiences that led you to seek treatment for Anxiety. Your provider may ask you to submit previous medical records or request blood work to rule out any potential causes of your Anxiety that may stem from a physical medical condition. In a follow-up appointment, your provider will work with you to create a treatment plan that will effectively treat your symptoms of Anxiety. In the event your provider determines that you may have a condition that is more appropriately diagnosed and managed by a psychiatrist, your provider will provide psychiatry resources. Additionally, Circle Medical is able to offer therapy referrals in all the locations where we offer care.  Please read through the FAQ for more information, including guidelines about who is a good fit for generalized anxiety diagnosis and care through our practice.

Comprehensive Anxiety or Depression assessment over video

Same-day or next-day appointment availability

If appropriate, we offer evidence-based treatment options for anxiety

Board-certified providers who provide anxiety and depression care

Therapy referrals available everywhere we offer care

As a primary care practice, we can treat you for many other conditions as well, streamlining your medical experience.

In network with most PPO insurance plans

Frequently asked questions.

Anxiety / Depression Treatment

Yes, our Circle Medical providers are able to provide a comprehensive assessment and diagnosis of mild to moderate anxiety or depression. ‍ If you are diagnosed by one of our providers, we are able to provide ongoing healthcare in the form of regular check-ins, assessments, therapy referrals, and evidence-based prescription management if appropriate. ‍ Please note that booking and paying for a video appointment with one of our Circle Medical providers does not guarantee a diagnosis, or a specific medication. ‍ A full medical assessment takes into account the patient’s full health summary, evidence-based diagnostic tools, and other safety factors. Treatment is up to the provider's discretion. We encourage you to read through this entire FAQ for additional details.

Our goal, as a primary care practice, is to make mental health more accessible and integrated with primary care. However, primary care has its limitations and this means that there may be instances where it is recommended that you see a specialist, or psychiatrist, for your care. Circle Medical is a primary care practice, which means that we are not able to treat more complex mental health conditions/medication, such as:   • History of psychosis, schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder    • You are currently taking, or seeking a prescription for, Benzodiazepines, opiate pain medication, or controlled substance sleep aids

To see a list of states, please start booking an appointment. You will be able to select from all of the lists where we are currently practicing. You must be currently residing in the state of treatment as well as have your primary pharmacy be in that same state in order to be a patient at our practice.

Our providers are board-certified providers (MD’s/DO’s/NP’s/PA’s) who are able to provide a full scope of primary care services, including mental health, at Circle Medical. We do not have psychiatrists on our platform, however, our Circle Medical providers are able to provide a wide range of mental health care services in a primary care setting to provide access to life-changing care to our patients. More complex mental health cases may require a psychiatrist to diagnose/treat. We encourage you to please read through this entire FAQ section for additional information.

You do not need to book your initial appointment with a doctor. You can book your appointment with any provider that we have available. Our providers all work closely together to make sure that we are providing the same excellent standard of care to all patients regardless of which provider you book your appointment with.

The first intake appointment is 30 minutes. Follow-up appointments are 20 minutes each.

$5 - $50 average copay* per appointment *Note: Your specific copay is dependent on your health insurance coverage. We typically see patients with copays of around $0-$50 per appointment, but this can be higher if you have a high-deductible plan and have not yet hit your deductible this year. To confirm your specific copay estimate, you can click to book an appointment and you will be asked to input your insurance information so that you can receive your cost estimate before confirming the appointment. Our ability to estimate your costs is dependent on your healthcare insurance's database, so we do not guarantee that the estimate you see is the exact amount you will be billed. For the most accurate estimate of your per-appointment costs, we recommend calling the phone number on the back of your insurance card to ask your insurance plan what your primary care appointment costs are.

$100 per appointment

For non-therapy appointments: We contract with most PPO insurance plans. If you are a California Bay Area resident, we also work with a small number of HMO plans. To verify if we work with your insurance, simply start booking an appointment online. You will be prompted to enter your insurance details and will receive eligibility results instantly as well as an estimate of your appointment cost prior to confirming your appointment. Some PPO plans that we currently work with are: ‍ Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Aetna, Blue Shield of California, Cigna, Health Net, Humana, and United Healthcare. Plans that we cannot work with are: Unfortunately, we are unable to provide care for patients who have Medi-Cal or Medicaid insurance. This is because we are not licensed Medi-Cal or Medicaid providers, so we are not able to provide care, even if these patients choose to pay cash instead of use their insurance. If you have Medi-Cal or Medicaid, please do not book an appointment with us, as we will be unable to provide care even if you do not enter your insurance information.

If you've been diagnosed with anxiety and/or depression before and have your diagnosis paperwork available, you can email it to [email protected] . Be sure to use the same email address that you used to sign up when booking your appointment. Note: This step is optional. After your first visit, we will facilitate getting your medical records from your previous provider.

After you are diagnosed, if you are prescribed medications, we will coordinate sending these prescriptions to your preferred pharmacy. You may have a 2-week follow-up if you are on a new dosage for treatment. Once your treatment has stabilized, you will have monthly follow-up appointments to maintain treatment. If you have questions at any time, please feel free to chat with your provider and care team via our secure app.

It can take 1-2 appointments for a complete anxiety and/or depression assessment to take place and for a possible diagnosis to be made.

Clinically appropriate treatment, tailored on a case-by-case basis.

We put patients first in every decision we make, and follow clinical guidelines based on evidence-based medicine to ensure patients get the most effective care possible.

What is Anxiety?

Anxiety is a common response to stress or danger, characterized by feelings of apprehension, worry, and fear. While occasional anxiety is a normal part of life, excessive and persistent anxiety may indicate a mental health disorder. Anxiety disorders manifest in various forms, such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), panic disorder, social anxiety disorder (SAD), and specific phobias. Individuals with anxiety may experience physical symptoms like increased heart rate, sweating, trembling, and shortness of breath. They may also have persistent negative thoughts, difficulty concentrating, and a sense of impending doom. Anxiety can significantly impact a person's daily life, relationships, and overall well-being. It may interfere with work or school performance, social interactions, and even lead to avoidance of certain situations or places. Treatment options for anxiety include therapy, medication, and self-care strategies such as exercise, relaxation techniques, and stress management. Seeking professional help is crucial for individuals experiencing severe or chronic anxiety to alleviate symptoms and improve their quality of life.

What causes Anxiety?

The causes of anxiety disorders are multifaceted and can involve a combination of biological, genetic, environmental, and psychological factors. Biological factors may include imbalances in brain chemistry and neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine, which may play a role in the development of anxiety disorders. Individuals with a family history of anxiety or other mental health conditions may have a higher risk due to genetic predisposition. Environmental factors, such as traumatic events, may include physical or emotional abuse, neglect, or the loss of a loved one, can trigger anxiety disorders. Chronic stress, exposure to violence, or living in a highly stressful environment can also contribute to the development of anxiety. Medical conditions or medications can cause or contribute to anxiety symptoms. For example, thyroid disorders, heart conditions, respiratory disorders, and hormonal imbalances can be associated with anxiety. Additionally, certain substances like caffeine, alcohol, or drugs can worsen anxiety symptoms. Anxiety disorders are complex, and each individual's experience may be unique. Understanding the causes and triggers can help in developing personalized treatment plans that address the specific needs of individuals with anxiety.

What are the symptoms of Anxiety?

Symptoms of Anxiety may include some of the following: Excessive Worry: Persistent and excessive worry about various aspects of life, including everyday concerns, future events, health, work, or relationships. The worry is often difficult to control and may be disproportionate to the actual situation. Restlessness and Irritability: Feeling restless, on edge, or easily irritated. Individuals with Anxiety may have difficulty relaxing and may be easily startled. Physical Symptoms: Anxiety can manifest as an increased heart rate, palpitations, chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating, trembling or shaking, gastrointestinal issues (such as stomachaches or nausea), and tension headaches. Sleep Disturbances: Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, or having restless, unsatisfying sleep. Anxiety can cause intrusive thoughts or racing thoughts that make it challenging to calm the mind and relax enough to sleep. Cognitive Symptoms: Persistent negative thoughts, excessive self-doubt, fear of losing control, racing thoughts, difficulty concentrating or focusing, and memory problems. Anxiety can make it challenging to make decisions or feel confident in one's abilities. Avoidance Behavior: Individuals with anxiety may avoid situations or places that they perceive as triggers for their Anxiety. This can lead to social isolation, avoiding work or school responsibilities, or limiting activities that were once enjoyable. Panic Attacks: Some anxiety disorders, such as panic disorder, can cause sudden and intense episodes of fear or panic known as panic attacks. During a panic attack, individuals may experience a rapid heart rate, chest pain, shortness of breath, trembling, dizziness, and a fear of losing control or dying. Everyone's experience with Anxiety can be unique, and individuals may not exhibit all of these symptoms. If you or someone you know is experiencing persistent Anxiety symptoms that interfere with daily life and well-being, it is recommended to seek professional help for proper diagnosis and treatment.

How do I know if I need a prescription for Anxiety?

Determining the need for a prescription for anxiety should be done in consultation with a healthcare professional. If your anxiety symptoms significantly impact your daily life, relationships, or overall well-being, or if they persist for several weeks or months without improvement from self-help strategies or therapy, a prescription medication may be considered as a part of your overall treatment plan, if determined to be clinically appropriate by your provider. Individualized treatment plans will take into account factors such as personal preferences, medical history, potential side effects, and interactions with other medications or health conditions. A Circle Medical provider can provide the necessary expertise to guide you in making an informed decision and determine if a prescription medication is appropriate as part of your treatment plan for anxiety.

Tips for coping with anxious thoughts and feelings:

Here are a few tips that can help relieve symptoms of Anxiety: Practice Deep Breathing and Relaxation Techniques : Deep breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness meditation can activate the body's relaxation response and help calm anxious thoughts and physical symptoms. Engage in Regular Physical Exercise: Physical activity releases endorphins, which are natural mood-boosting chemicals. Regular exercise can reduce anxiety, improve sleep quality, and enhance overall well-being. Maintain a Healthy Lifestyle: Prioritize self-care by getting enough sleep, eating balanced meals, limiting caffeine and alcohol intake, and avoiding unhealthy coping mechanisms like smoking or excessive use of substances. Establish a Support System: Reach out to friends, family, or support groups who can provide understanding and encouragement. Sharing your feelings with trusted individuals can alleviate anxiety and provide a sense of connection. Practice Stress Management Techniques: Find healthy ways to manage stress, such as engaging in hobbies, practicing relaxation techniques, journaling, or engaging in creative activities. These outlets can help redirect anxious thoughts and promote relaxation. Coping with anxiety is a gradual process, and different strategies may work for different individuals. It's important to be patient and kind to yourself as you find coping mechanisms that work best for you.

Don't take our word for it.

We are trusted by over 50,000 patients every month. Here's what they have to say.

Circle Medical staff and my provider have been incredibly responsive and helpful, particularly with navigating issues with finding pharmacies supplying my prescription.

I knew I needed to get diagnosed but just too anxious to go out and seek a provider. The ease of online appointment has made me not cancel or miss appointments.

I love the provider I have been seeing she is absolutely lovely and very informative. She actually cares and we have developed a great relationship, better than any doctor I have met with over the years in person. The process of setting everything up in the app was fairly quick and easy for me and when I had an issue it was quickly addressed within the chat. I would absolutely recommend Circle Medical and I have even recommended it to a friend.

Easy scheduling. Quick responses on the app. Super friendly staff and the providers are thorough and comprehensive with their questions and exams. I never feel rushed. I feel like this is a concierge experience.

Exceptional care from Day 1 all the way through current treatment. Couldn’t ask for a better service.

I appreciated the swift, clear assistance I got with Circle Medical. I liked that I could be evaluated and treated from home.

Everything is very easy to use and convenient. Everyone I have interacted with from Circle has been so nice and helpful as well.

My provider is great and I feel like she really cares about my well-being as a person. She listens to any concerns I have and takes me seriously.

Circle Medical has been absolutely amazing to me. I have been a patient at Circle Medical for about 7 months now and the experience has just been awesome. From day 1 I have been welcomed with open arms. I do video visits right in the comfort of my own home, how convenient is that? My provider is awesome, so sweet and comforting and motivating.

Circle Medical works around my crazy life. My meetings are fast but thorough and professional, and it's very affordable.

My provider is attentive and knowledgeable. Her team is responsive, I really feel like I receive the same quality of care as if it were in person. Appointments are readily available.

I have recommended Circle Medical to two friends and they both have used and are happy with their experience as well.

Very helpful, professional, and courteous service.

I’m very likely to recommend Circle Medical because of the progress that I have made. My provider has made it possible for me to accept and understand my ADHD with the upmost positivity and total honesty. I have never been able to love and accept myself till now.

Fantastic providers and communication. Ease of use, virtual appointments, on-time for every appointment. They are quick and thorough.

I was able to schedule an appointment quickly and complete my diagnosis and prescription within the same week. My provider was caring, communicated clearly, and willing to answer questions.

I love having a primary care provider to work with me on getting the correct medication needed to function. I love the convenience of the telehealth appointments as well.

I am very happy with their service, especially after bad experiences with other companies. My provider is very helpful, attentive and genuinely seems to care. Medicine orders are quick and they do what they promise.

My provider is amazing and very professional. Customer care is always on top of any question you have. I would highly recommend Circle Medical.

My provider is amazing! He listens well to my concerns and thoroughly explains all treatment options. Circle makes it easy to schedule and communicate via chat.

My provider was very nice. She listened to my concerns. I’m usually very nervous to speak to a new doctor but she made me feel very comfortable. I would recommend Circle Medical to any of my friends or family.

My provider is attentive, thorough, and always focused what is right for me. I never feel rushed and I always feel heard. And it is easy to make an appointment

I felt like someone was finally listening and validating me. Other doctors treated me like I was seeking drugs and I couldn’t possibly have the problems or that they aren’t that bad and it’s my fault. Thank you so much for listening, asking me questions, and letting me answer.

I’m convinced that these wonderful people truly care about the patients they serve. I have made such a meaningful connection with my provider, and every rep who answers my questions in the chat. First rate customer support. Easy appointment booking. Fair price. Thank you Circle Medical.

Easy process, excellent providers and a phenomenal app experience.

The convenience is amazing. I can always find an appointment with the same person at a time that works best for my schedule. Also, I love the ability to text questions whenever I want. I get answers within the same day. Sometimes in an hour. It feels like a concierge service. I can call whenever I want. Make an appointment when I want, and get quick answers to all of my questions.

The provider was extremely kind and thorough, the app is very easy to use, and I had no problems picking up my prescription.

I’ve had an amazing experience. I liked how I was able to read up on the providers to find the right fit for me. The provider I chose is absolutely the right fit and has worked with me to find the correct dosage of medication.

Accessibe, efficient, and I really like my provider's approach to my concerns and partnership in treatment planning. I feel validated, heard, and respected. Love how streamlined the app makes everything including the chat feature being open 24/7. Feels like I have open/quick access and flexibility in getting my needs met.

I absolutely love Circle Medical and my provider! The process is so easy and seamless and she’s just the best, most empathetic caregiver! I have referred so many people to Circle Medical!

The entire process is fast and easy. My provider is competent, reliable, caring, and friendly. Billing and service team are always highly responsive and helpful. Perfect.

I’m a busy working parent. I love that I was able to get an appointment quickly with availability in the evening hours. The NP who evaluated me was thorough on intake/history and I was able to get much needed care. I’m excited that they will be able to provide my primary, preventative care too!

So far I've had same day or next day appointment scheduling. Questions are answered same day or next day. The patient care coordinators and the providers have given me the most respectful, professional and attentive care I have ever received. Well run organization. 5 stars.

Simple and easy. My PCP. Is absolutely amazing, super helpful, kind and understanding. It was also very affordable and convenient and worked well with my insurance.

I love my provider. She is always on time, very knowledgeable about the medications and my condition and always answers all my questions.

This is convenient. The providers that I have interacted with have been, helpful, patient and kind. I feel like a priority with Circle Medical.

I was able to find a provider to help me with my needs within 24 hours. Even though I’ve been trying to find a doctor locally, I was unable to receive help for months until I stumbled on Circle Medical. They were helpful and nice.

I found an amazing provider who has helped me more in the last few months than a team of specialists over the course of nearly a decade of care.

Very convenient. I was shocked that I could get inexpensive mental health services so quickly. Very pleased.

Very easy to use, caring employees, fair prices, quick treatment.

350+ Primary Care Providers. 100% Confidence.

No matter which Provider you choose, you will be seen by a clinician who cares deeply about your health and wants to help you live your happiest, healthiest life. Circle Medical Providers are held to an exceptionally high standard of compassionate, evidence-based care.

Circle Medical Providers must meet all of the following standards:

Exceptionally qualified in their field

Board-certified

Deeply empathetic for patents

Follows evidence-based care guidelines

Embracing of diverse patient backgrounds

Impeccable record of previous care

Talk to a provider about Anxiety today.

Same-day Availabilities

Read more about Anxiety treatment

How to get diagnosed with anxiety online.

If you’re struggling with a mood disorder like anxiety, it’s important to get a diagnosis so you can begin your path to treatment. Fortunately, it’s easier than ever to speak to a quality health care provider. Online primary care providers allow you to connect with primary care providers from the comfort of your own home.

If you meet with an online primary care provider, you will have an initial appointment to determine if anxiety is the root cause of your symptoms. This involves an assessment over the phone where your provider will ask questions about your experiences with anxiety and your health history. Depending on the assessment, they may also want to do some blood work to rule out any underlying conditions. If diagnosed with anxiety, they can then begin creating a personalized treatment plan for your unique needs.

How to talk to your primary care doctor or health care provider about mental health

It can sometimes be difficult to talk to someone about mental health. However, your primary care provider is there to help. If you’re nervous about speaking to a provider, start by making a list of your symptoms before your appointment. Try to be as detailed as possible. This will help you stay on track and will ensure you tell your provider everything about your condition.

During your appointment, don’t hesitate to ask your provider questions about your diagnosis, your treatment or anything else you’re curious about. Anxiety treatment is an ongoing process, and having an open discussion with your primary care provider will help you get the most comprehensive treatment possible.

Medical services provided by Circle Medical Care of California, an independent medical practice. CA Medical Board permit #FNP3274.

We're Hiring

* Patient names and identities have been changed to protect Patient Health Information (PHI)

© 2015-2023 Circle Medical Technologies, Inc. 333 1st Street #A, San Francisco, CA, 94105

7 Best Online Therapy Options for Anxiety in 2024

BEST FOR ANXIETY OVERALL

• More therapists than any other platform
• Financial aid available

BEST FOR ANXIETY WITH MEDICATION MANAGEMENT

• Specializes in treating anxiety, with or without medication
• Free assessment available before signing up

BEST FOR ANXIETY THAT TAKES INSURANCE

• Accepts insurance
• Medication management available

BEST FOR COUPLES WITH ANXIETY

• Can help couples deal with anxiety that affects one or both partners
• Financial assistance available

BEST FOR TEENAGERS WITH ANXIETY

Teen Counseling

• Serves teens only
• Option to include parents in sessions

BEST SELF-PACED OPTION FOR ANXIETY

Online-Therapy.com

• Supplemental tools help facilitate counseling at your own pace
• First-month discount

BEST FOR ANXIETY WITH SAME-DAY SESSIONS

• Same-day sessions available in some states
• Variety of therapy offerings and prices to fit your budget and needs

Online therapy provides a convenient way to find treatment for anxiety. According to Harvard Health Publishing , daily anxiety may involve minor levels of fear or doubt about performing a task. When dealing with this type of anxiety , you may experience muscle tightness or sweating, but the symptoms should not interfere with your ability to function. The Mayo Clinic notes that when anxiety becomes excessive and interferes with performing routine tasks, you may have severe anxiety and need to see a mental health specialist.

Virtual therapy companies that treat anxiety provide platforms that help you connect with a licensed therapist, counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist from your home. Here are our seven picks for the best online therapy for anxiety.

Our Top Picks for Best Online Therapy for Anxiety

• Best for Anxiety Overall: BetterHelp
• Best for Anxiety With Medication Management: Brightside
• Best for Anxiety That Takes Insurance: Talkspace
• Best for Couples With Anxiety: ReGain
• Best for Teenagers With Anxiety: Teen Counseling
• Best Self-Paced Option for Anxiety: Online-Therapy.com
• Best for Anxiety With Same-Day Sessions: Sesame

Best Online Therapy for Anxiety Side-by-Side Comparison

Best for Anxiety Overall

Session Types  Messaging and live chat, phone, and video sessions

Cost and Payment Options  Prices vary and start at $65/week

Prescribes Medication  No

Accepts Insurance  No

• Insurance not accepted
• Only serves adults

Because of the platform’s large pool of providers, it may be easier to find a licensed provider who specializes in anxiety treatment in your state using BetterHelp, as opposed to smaller virtual therapy platforms. BetterHelp can match clients with the therapist that’s

Best for Anxiety With Medication Management

Session Types  Messaging and live video

Cost and Payment Options  $299 per month for unlimited messaging and four video sessions; additional video appointment is $59; $95 per month plus pharmacy copay for psychiatry plan; $349 per month for psychiatry plus therapy

Prescribes Medication  Yes

Accept Insurance  Yes

• Limited availability of some therapists
• Only available to people ages 18 and older
• No app for Android devices

An overall treatment plan for anxiety may consist of self-care tools that help build skills and resilience, a 45-minute weekly therapy session via video, and unlimited messaging. The platform has a symptom check-in questionnaire that users can take every 14 days to record their anxiety

Best for Anxiety That Takes Insurance

Session Types  Text, video, and voice messaging; live video, audio, and chat sessions; live workshops

Cost and Payment Options  Prices vary and depend on geographic location, but generally start at $69 per week for Messaging Therapy, $99 per week for Video Therapy Plus Messaging, and $109 per week for a combination of Live Therapy Plus Messaging Plus Weekly Workshops, with plans billed monthly; Talkspace Psychiatry costs $299 for the first session and $175 for follow-up sessions

Prescribes Medications  Yes, via Talkspace Psychiatry

Accepts Insurance  Yes

• Must pay more for plans with live video sessions
• Can be costly if you’re only looking for a few sessions

Talkspace has licensed therapists and anxiety counselors who have expertise in areas like anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), phobias, mood disorders, and more. Because they require providers to have at least a master’s degree and a minimum of 3,000 hours of clinical experience

Best for Couples With Anxiety

Cost and Payment Options  $60 to $90 per week, based on geographic location, preferences, and therapists; plans billed monthly

Accepts Insurance  No

• System does not support three-way live sessions
• Cost for one person is the same as the cost for two people

Anxiety can interfere with daily life and contribute to marital dissatisfaction, according to a review published in Neuroendocrinology Letters . ReGain is an online counseling platform owned by BetterHelp that focuses on helping couples with various mental health and relationship

Best for Teenagers With Anxiety

• Unable to fulfill court orders, make any official diagnosis, or prescribe medication

Approximately 5.8 million children ages 3 to 17 have been diagnosed with anxiety, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . Unfortunately, 80 percent of children with a diagnosable anxiety disorder do not receive treatment, according to the Child Mind Institute

Best Self-Paced Option for Anxiety

Session Types  Messaging and live chat, phone, and video sessions with some plans

Cost and Payment Options  $50 to $110 weekly, depending on subscription; 20 percent discount for first month for new subscribers; plans billed monthly

• No live sessions with basic plan
• Services not available for kids or teens

All Online-Therapy.com plans include self-paced worksheets, journaling, activity plans, tests, and yoga and meditation videos to help patients improve the outcome of their therapy and learn to better manage anxiety symptoms on their own.

The goal of Online-Therapy.com is to help

Best for Anxiety With Same-Day Sessions

Session Types  Live video

Cost and Payment Options  $60 to $300 per session; depends on therapist, type of session, and geographic location

Prescribes Medication  Yes, if seen by a medical doctor or other authorized provider

• Only offers video appointments
• May be limited provider availability in certain geographic areas
• Can get costly if you need long-term or frequent sessions

Finding same-day therapy appointments for anxiety can be a challenge. Sesame addresses this need with a direct-to-patient-care marketplace that provides on-demand appointments with mental health and medical services via a pay-as-you-go model.

Unlike subscription platforms that require

Pros and Cons of Online Therapy for Anxiety

Online therapy makes it easier for people to seek mental health treatment in a timely manner. Although the benefits of increasing the availability of these services are numerous, there are still some things you should consider before moving forward. Here are some pros and cons of virtual counseling for anxiety.

• Online therapy for anxiety will likely give you more provider options beyond those in your local community, although your provider still needs to be licensed in your state of residence in order to provide therapy online.
• Some people feel an extra level of comfort knowing that there is no risk of being seen at a therapy office or getting recognized by someone they know. Those people may be more open to seeking help online.
• There may be a sense of “more openness” when it comes to discussing your issues with a provider online as opposed to in an in-person setting.
• A comfortable environment during the therapy session can decrease anxiety and help support the therapy process.
• Online sessions eliminate the need for additional travel time or transportation, which may increase patients’ adherence to attending sessions.
• There may be several different ways to communicate, depending on the provider, including messaging, phone, video, and text.
• Scheduling may be more flexible than in-person counseling, depending on the platform.
• Online therapy is sometimes easier for people with physical limitations.
• You can participate in sessions even when you’re sick or unable to leave the house.
• Messaging allows you to communicate with a therapist between sessions.
• Not all platforms accept health insurance.
• It may be an issue if you can’t find a quiet place for your sessions, which can lead to repeated distractions that interfere with the therapy process. Potential distractions include background noises, pets, kids, coworkers (if you’re using an office at work), or incoming calls or texts that interrupt the session. Problems with the internet connection, audio or visual complications, and difficulty using the app could also interfere with the session.
• Online therapy may not be appropriate for people with severe anxiety.
• Most online providers will help treat but not diagnose mental health conditions.
• It may be difficult for the therapist to observe the patient’s body language if the camera is not optimally positioned.
• Online therapy for anxiety is not appropriate for emergency situations.

Does Online Counseling for Anxiety Work?

In-person therapy for anxiety is not always a viable option. For some people, location or scheduling conflicts make it too difficult to see a therapist at their office. For others, anxiety about leaving the house, or fear of meeting in person can be roadblocks to receiving mental health care.

When offered by an experienced licensed mental health provider, online treatment for anxiety can be effective. In fact, a review published in Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine found that internet-based interventions like therapist-guided cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) are effective in reducing the symptoms of anxiety.

Who Should Use Virtual Therapy for Anxiety?

Online therapy for anxiety might be suitable for people living with mild to moderate anxiety symptoms. As the American Psychological Association points out, online sessions eliminate the need for transportation to and from sessions and increase the availability of therapy to people living in areas with limited mental health services.

People with busy schedules and transportation difficulties often like the flexibility of online appointments, according to Nicole Siegfried, PhD , chief clinical officer at Lightfully Behavioral Health in Birmingham, Alabama. Dr. Siegfried also says that people with panic disorder or agoraphobia (fear of entering open and crowded spaces or of being in environments where escape may be difficult) may be particularly good candidates because they can receive therapy from the comfort of their own home.

Siegfried says that people who have difficulty with technology may not be good candidates for online services, adding that “navigating technology may create added anxiety, which may interfere with its effectiveness.”

Additionally, if someone has thoughts of hurting themself or others or needs emergency attention, virtual therapy is not the right choice. In those situations, it’s best to seek emergency help right away. Call 911 if you have plans to hurt yourself or others. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline if you’re having suicidal thoughts.

How to Tell Whether You Need Therapy for Anxiety

If you’ve been diagnosed with anxiety, your doctor or a mental health expert may have already provided you with information about symptoms and treatment options. But you might be wondering how to tell whether you truly need therapy for anxiety. Although anxiety can present itself differently depending on the person, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) identifies the following as some of the most common symptoms:

• Feeling restless, on edge, or irritable
• Difficulty concentrating
• Muscle tension and sleeping problems
• Difficulty controlling feelings of worry
• Heart palpitations or a pounding heartbeat
• Sweating, trembling, or shaking
• Shortness of breath
• Feelings of being out of control and of impending doom
• Irrational fears or excessive worry about encountering a feared object or situation (phobias)

There are many forms of anxiety, including generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . If you want to know the specific type of anxiety you have, talking with your doctor can help determine the form of anxiety that most closely matches your symptoms.

Can Virtual Therapy Platforms for Anxiety Prescribe Medication?

Not all telehealth platforms for anxiety can prescribe medication. In fact, most online counseling sites only provide therapy sessions with a licensed counselor, therapist, social worker, or psychologist — none of whom can prescribe medication. That being said, a few online providers, including Talkspace , Brightside , and Sesame , can offer medication services when the patient is seen by an authorized provider. If you’re using a platform that does not provide medication services and you need a new prescription or an existing prescription refilled, contact your doctor for guidance.

If you’re using an online platform that provides prescriptions, you’ll work closely with a licensed provider to choose the right medication for your symptoms. In general, some of the more commonly prescribed medications for anxiety treatment include anti-anxiety drugs like benzodiazepines, as well as beta-blockers, and antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), according to the NIMH .

Because medication for mental health conditions like anxiety can have serious side effects, it’s crucial that you work with a licensed provider who can manage your medication, not just prescribe it. You’ll also want to ask about provider availability. For example, find out whether there will be someone available to consult with if you have questions about your prescription, or whether you’ll need to wait until your next scheduled session.

What to Consider Before Purchasing a Subscription for Virtual Counseling for Anxiety

If you’re ready to try online therapy for anxiety, but aren’t sure how to find the right provider, you may be wondering what criteria you should consider before purchasing a plan. Here are some things to think about before you sign up, log in, and start chatting:

• Are your anxiety symptoms appropriate for online counseling? If you have concerns, you may need to check with your doctor or a mental health expert before proceeding.
• Are you comfortable with expressing your thoughts and emotions on an online therapy platform?
• Do you have the ability to establish trust with someone you’ve never met in person?
• Does the pricing and insurance coverage meet your budget and expectations? Look at your budget and decide whether you need a monthly plan or a pay-per-session plan when searching for an affordable online therapy platform .
• Do you have a space for online sessions that has a good internet connection? Consider noise, comfort, time of day, and connectivity.
• Look over your technology and compare it to the requirements of each provider. Choose the device you are going to use for your sessions (smartphone, tablet, or computer). Then, determine whether the apps and online platforms the provider uses are compatible with your technology.
• If it’s important to you, can you pick the therapist yourself, or are you paired up based on the company’s algorithm? Once you’re matched, can you change therapists?
• What do other people say about the platform or providers? Take time to read online reviews from sites like the BBB and TrustPilot.
• Does the provider offer multiple session times and days, including weekends? One of the perks of online counseling for anxiety can be flexibility when scheduling, especially if you need early morning, late evening, or weekend sessions.
• Do you have a preferred method of communication (phone, video, online chat, or text)? Some online platforms offer multiple ways to connect with a therapist, while others only offer one or two.
• Are the therapists licensed, with a master’s degree or doctorate? How experienced are they with online therapy?
• Do they offer different types of counseling, such as therapy for teens , couples, or families?

The degree to which you and your therapist agree on the treatment plan has a lot to do with how successful your therapy sessions will ultimately be, according to an article published in The Professional Counselor . You need to be willing to work with your counselor and offer feedback about issues, goals, and treatment progress in order to receive an optimal level of care.

Common Strategies for Managing Anxiety

Anxiety symptoms can interfere with daily living and wreak havoc on your work, family life, social obligations, and routines. The good news is that there are things you can do to help minimize the negative effects of anxiety. As you debate which online therapy provider to choose, consider these common strategies for managing the symptoms of anxiety, as recommended by the Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) :

• Get regular exercise, aiming for at least 30 minutes of physical activity five times per week.
• Practice deep-breathing  exercises.
• Step up your sleep hygiene and make sure you’re getting adequate rest each night.
• Eat a well-balanced diet that includes fruits, vegetables, fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids (such as salmon), and complex carbohydrates (oatmeal, quinoa, whole-grain breads, and whole-grain cereals).
• Limit your alcohol and caffeine intake — both can trigger anxiety and panic attacks.
• Try to accept that you can’t control everything.

The Bottom Line

Living with anxiety can be overwhelming at times. While there is no cure for anxiety, you can manage your symptoms with in-person or online therapy, medication, coping skills, and other lifestyle modifications. Online therapy for anxiety lets you find mental health services with a licensed therapist, counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist. However, not all therapists specialize in treating anxiety. Take some time to research the different sites and ask questions about the types of mental health issues each platform treats.

ReGain’s relationship-focused counseling may be a good resource for individuals who have a partner who is experiencing anxiety. Another platform that focuses on helping loved ones cope with anxiety is Teen Counseling , which specializes in offering therapy to teens ages 13 to 19.

The therapists at Brightside focus on treating anxiety and depression, and they also offer prescription management services. Another site that provides counseling and online psychiatric services such as medication management is Talkspace , which also features unlimited messaging.

Someone who wants to ensure that their therapist is LGBTQ+ friendly may benefit from choosing  BetterHelp for help with anxiety. And if you live in a state with a limited number of licensed therapists, BetterHelp might be a better fit than other platforms, since it has the largest number of therapists, which can increase the likelihood that you’ll find one who fits your schedule and needs.

If you want tools to help you manage your anxiety symptoms at your own pace between sessions, Online-Therapy.com may be worth considering. And finally, if being matched with a therapist for same-day appointments is key, look into the therapy services offered by Sesame .

Why You Can Trust Us

We independently investigate and recommend products and services that we believe will enrich the lives of our readers and meet their specific needs. We’ve spent hundreds of hours of in-depth research on the online therapy market. You can read more about our research on our full online therapy methodology page and see the full results of our online therapy testing .

You can trust our review because we did the legwork for you in these specific ways:

• Engaged in ongoing independent research
• Spent over 245 hours testing seven brands, deployed surveys that included over 200 participants each, and interviewed focus groups
• Went behind the paywall for two months with seven brands to mystery shop our best online therapy choices
• Contacted the brands’ customer service teams to ask questions and gauge responsiveness
• Became customers of online therapy providers ourselves
• Reviewed academic research into the efficacy of online therapy versus in-person therapy
• Read hundreds of verified customer reviews from trusted third parties such as the BBB and Trustpilot

Learn more about how we researched and evaluated the best online therapy brands on our  methodology page .

In Emergency Situations

If you are in crisis, waiting for an online therapy appointment may not be safe. In case of an emergency, call 911. That includes plans to harm yourself or others. If you’re having suicidal thoughts, you can call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255. Help is available 24/7.

You can also reach out to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline at 800-662-HELP (4357). The SAMHSA help line is a free, confidential, 24/7, 365-days-a-year treatment referral and information service for individuals facing mental or substance abuse disorders.

Frequently Asked Questions

The counselor will choose a therapy approach based on the type of anxiety disorder the patient has and the severity of their symptoms. CBT, in particular, is a highly effective and well-established method of treating anxiety that focuses on identifying, understanding, and changing thinking and behavioral patterns, according to the ADAA .

Some providers may use exposure therapy to treat phobias and social anxiety. The goal with this treatment is to teach coping skills and then expose the patient to the situation or object that is causing fear, in an attempt to lessen their anxiety over time, according to NAMI . This type of therapy may or may not be offered by online platforms.

Yes, online doctors who are licensed to do so can prescribe anxiety medications. Most virtual therapy platforms that offer this service use physicians, psychiatrists, or psychiatric nurse practitioners to prescribe and manage anxiety medication.

In general, health insurance does cover anxiety medication. Some companies only cover the cost of generic prescriptions, so make sure to ask about copays for brand-name drugs versus generic ones. Some of the more commonly prescribed medications for anxiety include anti-anxiety drugs like benzodiazepines, beta-blockers, and antidepressants such as SSRIs and SNRIs.

Editorial Sources and Fact-Checking

Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy . We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.

• Anxiety and Depression in Children: Get the Facts. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . April 13, 2022.
• Anxiety Disorders. National Institute of Mental Health . April 2022.
• LGBTQI.  National Alliance on Mental Illness .
• Saddichha S, Al-Desouki M, Lamia A, et al. Online Interventions for Depression and Anxiety — A Systematic Review. Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine . 2014.
• Interview With Nicole Siegfried, PhD . Lightfully Behavioral Health in Birmingham, Alabama. March 2022.
• Types of Therapy. Anxiety and Depression Association of America . May 3, 2022.
• Cuijpers P, Sijbrandij M, Koole SL, et al. Adding Psychotherapy to Antidepressant Medication in Depression and Anxiety Disorders: A Meta-Analysis. World Psychiatry . February 2014.
• Kasalova P, Prasko J, Holubova M, et al. Anxiety Disorders and Marital Satisfaction. Neuroendocrinology Letters . February 2018.
• Do I Have Anxiety or Worry: What’s the Difference? Harvard Health Publishing . July 23, 2018.
• What Are Anxiety Disorders? American Psychiatric Association . June 2021.
• Curtis R, Thompson H, Juhnke GA, Frick MH. Treatment Fit: A Description and Demonstration via Video of a Brief and Functional Treatment Fit Model. The Professional Counselor . October 15, 2014.
• Online Therapy Survey. 1,000 Respondents. Conducted Using Pollfish. Launched April 11, 2022.
• A Growing Wave of Online Therapy. American Psychological Association . February 2017.
• What Are the Five Major Types of Anxiety Disorders? U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . February 12, 2014.
• 2018 Children’s Mental Health Report. Child Mind Institute . 2018.
• Sohal M, Singh P, Singh Dillon B, et al. Efficacy of Journaling in the Management of Mental Illness: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Family Medicine and Community Health . March 2022.
• Online Therapy Focus Group: Current Online Therapy Users. Nine Participants. Conducted Using Google Meet. January 25, 2023.
• Talkspace Survey. 200 respondents. Conducted Using Pollfish. Launched January 17, 2023.
• BetterHelp Survey. 200 respondents. Conducted Using Pollfish. Launched January 9, 2023.
• Brightside Survey. 200 respondents. Conducted Using Pollfish. Launched January 9, 2023.

• Bipolar Disorder
• Therapy Center
• When To See a Therapist
• Types of Therapy
• Best Online Therapy
• Best Couples Therapy
• Best Family Therapy
• Managing Stress
• Sleep and Dreaming
• Understanding Emotions
• Self-Improvement
• Healthy Relationships
• Student Resources
• Personality Types
• Guided Meditations
• Verywell Mind Insights
• 2024 Verywell Mind 25
• Mental Health in the Classroom
• Editorial Process
• Meet Our Review Board
• Crisis Support

Looking for a Psychiatrist? Try One of These 9 Best Online Psychiatry Services

Out of 80 tested companies, these are our top choices for online psychiatry

Jean is an experienced psychiatrist and writer who has extensive experience writing and commenting on mental health issues for the lay public, and also wide-ranging prior clinical experience in academic, military, and government settings. Jean is particularly interested in addressing broader concerns related to psychiatric illnesses, psychotherapy, psychodynamic sociocultural insights, stigma, women's health, and cross-cultural (especially Asian American) health issues.

Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Karen Cilli is a fact-checker for Verywell Mind. She has an extensive background in research, with 33 years of experience as a reference librarian and educator.

Finding a psychiatrist when you need one can feel like an impossible task. From bloated, weeks-long waiting lists to a lack of insurance acceptance, timely care can be hard to come by. Approximately half of all U.S. counties don’t have any psychiatrists and only 56% of psychiatrists are in-network with any insurance plan. What’s more, a May 2023 study found that only 19% of psychiatrists were accepting new patients and among those, the median wait time for an appointment was 67 days.  

Online psychiatry companies are stepping up to fill this huge gap in care. One of the biggest perks of online psychiatry is accessibility. These services offer access to a large network of pre-vetted, highly qualified psychiatrists, many of whom accept insurance, to anyone with internet access. Also, by offering flexible scheduling and reducing secondary costs of in-person visits, such as child care, time off work, and transportation, online care can allow even more people to get treatment.

Such services are skyrocketing in both popularity and availability. To help identify the best online psychiatry services out there, we tasked testers, experts, and our research team to put these companies to the test. We surveyed over 10,000 users at 80 online mental health companies and directories, had testers sign up for the services for at least a month, had three licensed therapists help us evaluate each company, and sent out questionnaires to each company. Given the variety of features and options on our list of top picks, we hope to take the sting out of finding high-quality, timely psychiatry.

9 Best Online Psychiatry Services, Tried and Tested in 2024

• Best for Availability: Teladoc Health
• Best for Alcohol Use Disorder: Monument
• Best for Anxiety and Depression: Brightside
• Best for Medication Management: Talkiatry
• Best for Patient Support: Talkspace
• Best for Ease of Use: Thriveworks
• Best for Flexible Scheduling: Doctor on Demand
• Best for Budget: LiveHealth Online
• Best for Provider Options: MDLIVE

When choosing an online therapy provider, we recommend that you read the company’s privacy guidelines before you sign up to better understand whether it is HIPAA-compliant and whether it shares any private information with third parties. There have been some online therapy concerns raised by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and several government officials about what user health information online therapy providers collect and what they do with any information they collect.

• Our Top Picks
• Teladoc Health
• Thriveworks
• Doctor on Demand
• LiveHealth Online
• See More (6)
• Compare Providers
• Key Considerations
• How to Choose
• Methodology

Best for Availability : Teladoc Health

• Price: $99 per therapy session, $209 for initial psychiatry appointment and $109 per follow-up
• Is Insurance Accepted?: Yes. 60 different insurance plans accepted
• Type Of Therapy: Couples Therapy, Individual Therapy, Medication Management, Psychiatry

Why We Chose It

Teladoc Health is the total package: It is highly accessible and easy to use, accepts insurance, and offers a broad network of well-qualified mental health providers. Among the 80 online mental health services we assessed, Teladoc stood out for its nationwide availability, flexible scheduling, acceptance of a high number of insurance companies, and incredibly high user approval ratings in our survey. With qualified therapists and psychiatrists available in all 50 states, appointments available seven days a week from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET, and mental health services available for ages 13 and up, Teladoc couldn’t be more available.

Easy-to-use platform

Accepts 60 insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid in some states

Appointments available 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. ET seven days a week

Available in all 50 states

Live video talk therapy also available

Excellent provider network with good availability

Providers rated highly for caring, respectful attitudes

Can participate in video appointments via app or website

Psychiatry sessions can be costly without insurance coverage

No prescriptions of controlled substances (e.g. Xanax, Valium, Adderall)

Same-day appointments may not be available

Cannot see insurance plans accepted until sign-up

We assigned three people to sign up for and test mental health services at Teladoc from Missouri, Ohio, and Texas. We felt it was important to see how the service performed in different state markets, especially when it came to provider quality and availability. We had great experiences overall: All of the mental healthcare providers we interacted with at Teladoc were highly qualified, compassionate, and professional. Most importantly, they were helpful. They were good listeners who offered thoughtful insight and actionable advice.

One thing we especially appreciated was Teladoc’s simple online scheduling system. It was much more user-friendly than the ones at other online providers we looked at. Access to both licensed psychotherapists and board-certified psychiatrists is available seven days a week, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.—which is a much wider range of times than most other online mental health companies offer. Every provider had many open appointment slots when we tested them, and we could schedule months in advance if needed.

However, we were disappointed that this wide availability of appointment times did not translate into being able to find appointments within a day or two. In general, we were able to schedule a visit with our providers of choice within a week. If you need an appointment more quickly than that, you may want to try another service that explicitly offers same-day or next-day appointments. Alternatively, you could try looking at the availability of several different Teladoc providers rather than waiting for an appointment with your first choice of provider. We feel confident that the high demand for Teladoc’s mental health providers reflects the high quality of the service.

Another way Teladoc stood out to us was in how many insurance plans it accepts. The service is in-network with 60 insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid in some states.

However, we would prefer that the full list of accepted insurance providers be available to potential patients before the sign-up process. Using insurance to cover the cost of in-network mental health care means you’ll only pay a copay, thereby making care more accessible.

We liked that our patient portal was accessible on the Teladoc website and app. We also appreciated that we could participate in our video appointments on the website or app, making care truly available from anywhere. The portal also has a messaging center where providers can send after-visit notes or care recommendations and patients can ask follow-up questions or contact customer service. 

Though the intake process at Teladoc was not as thorough as some other online therapy companies—consisting of filling out our personal information, insurance details, the reason for our visit, and short questionnaires about our medical and mental health—we believe this won’t be an issue for those accessing psychiatric services at the company since a full mental health and medications history will be collected by your psychiatrist at your initial intake appointment. Our user survey showed that most of the prescribers at Teladoc are psychiatrists rather than physician’s assistants or general practitioners. We believe this is very important since providers with specialized training and experience in psychiatry are better equipped than other types of doctors to diagnose and medicate mental health conditions. 

Given our research and experience, we feel Teladoc is a great option if you’re looking for online mental health care, both psychiatry and psychotherapy. However, there are some circumstances where it might not be the best fit. Like most online prescribers, Teladoc’s psychiatrists can’t prescribe controlled substances such as Xanax and Valium for anxiety disorders, or Adderall for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), so it is not ideal for people requiring those types of medications. Also, it does not treat psychosis, substance use, or eating disorders.

Teladoc is in-network with 60 insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid in some states. If you’re using insurance to access Teladoc’s services, you will only pay a copay for visits, which varies depending on your provider. If you’re paying out-of-pocket, the pricing is:

• $99 per session for all therapy visits
• $299 for the initial psychiatry consultation; $119 per session for follow-ups

Appointments are pay-per-visit, which may be costly if frequent sessions are required and/or if your insurance does not cover service. Payment is required upfront via credit card or PayPal.

Teladoc was the highest-rated company in our user survey, with an incredible 97% of the 105 users we spoke to rating the service as good, very good, or excellent overall. Its psychiatry and medication management services also received rave reviews, with over nine out of 10 users surveyed rating their experience with these services the same way.

Perhaps most importantly, Teladoc received very high ratings for responsive, caring, and respectful attitudes of psychiatric providers: 92% of users rated their prescriber’s bedside manner positively, which was significantly higher than the 73% average for all companies we reviewed. In addition, 94% of users rated prescriber qualifications positively; again, much higher than the 74% average for all companies. Users also praised its accessibility, provider availability, and insurance coverage. Finally, nearly nine in 10 users said they’d recommend Teladoc’s psychiatry and medication management services to a friend or family member.

Best for Alcohol Use Disorder : Monument

• Price: Starts at $15+ per month
• Is Insurance Accepted?: Yes
• Type Of Therapy: Group Therapy, Individual Therapy, Medication Management, Peer Support

Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is one of the most common psychiatric disorders in America—it’s estimated that approximately 28.6 million U.S. adults have AUD. Unfortunately, due to treatment barriers and stigma, fewer than 1 in 10 people with AUD seek treatment. Because of its effectiveness in treating the condition, medication is considered a first-line treatment for AUD. But again, few people access these treatments: less than 2% of people with AUD were prescribed medications known to be effective in treating the disorder. This is why Monument’s service is so important. By offering specialized treatment of AUD that combines online psychotherapy and medication management, and by accepting insurance, Monument makes effective treatment accessible to more people. Among the 80 companies we assessed, few online mental health services treat AUD and fewer still prescribe the most effective medications.

Specialized focus on alcohol use disorder

All providers have experience treating substance use disorders

Accepts many insurance plans

Well-coordinated therapy and psychiatric services

Access to therapist-moderated support groups

Can prescribe medications shown to be effective in treating alcohol dependence

Only non-controlled anti-craving medications prescribed

No built-in referral network to inpatient rehab

Must pay $15 community membership fee, not covered by insurance

Therapists not as involved and supportive as other sites

Services not available in all states

Monument treats alcohol use disorder with medication and therapy, and while we could not assign someone to test out its medication services (we did not find it ethical to do so), we did test out the sign-up process and other aspects of the service, surveyed 105 users, extensively researched the company, and sought expert insight on it. 

Overall, we were impressed with Monument’s offerings and service model. First of all, simply offering high-quality treatment online is a boon to patients with AUD. For those concerned with the stigma, it may prove easier to seek care online. Plus, online treatment reduces other barriers to care, such as transportation and childcare, and ensures that people in areas without in-person care options can still receive much-needed treatment.

We also love how unique Monument is as a specialized telehealth platform for people with alcohol use disorder. The platform encourages a multidisciplinary team approach by assigning each client both a therapist and a physician for medication management.

The program emphasizes a limited set of non-controlled substances to help with alcohol cravings, such as disulfiram and naltrexone.

We thought one of Monument’s most impressive features was its providers. Unlike most other services, Monument’s therapists and prescribers all have experience and expertise in treating substance use disorders. This makes all the difference in ensuring exceptional-quality care that caters to those with AUD. Our user survey reflected this important point: Nearly all of the Monument users we surveyed (a whopping 97%) said the service was better than other similar services they had tried in the past. When citing the reason they believed Monument was a vast improvement compared to other online mental health services they’d previously used, 40% said its therapists have better qualifications, experience, and/or specialized training, and 51% said Monument’s website and patient interface was easier to use.

Another way Monument stood out to us was that peer support stands at the core of its treatment model. A wide body of research shows that group therapy is especially beneficial for those dealing with substance use disorders. It can reduce feelings of isolation and stigma, help increase interpersonal and communication skills, and allow people to share and practice coping strategies. Group therapy has comparable outcomes to individual therapy on the key points of treatment continuation, substance abstinence, and improved psychological symptoms.

A $15/month community membership buys you access to Monument’s many therapist-moderated support groups and 24/7 online community forum. This would be a great place to start for those beginning their journey with sobriety or moderation since community membership doesn’t require participating in therapy or medication management appointments.

Groups meet anywhere from twice a month to three times a week and are aimed at specific ages or identities, such as women, men, BIPOC people, LBGTQIA+ people, parents, or relatives, as well as topic-based groups such as mindfulness, codependency, and self-compassion. Although Monument’s therapists can help with some co-existing disorders, such as anxiety or depression, which are common in people with substance use disorders, its providers cannot prescribe medications to treat those conditions. They also cannot treat any co-occurring use of other substances. We were dismayed that Monument’s website did not mention referrals to more intensive levels of service, such as residential or inpatient treatment. 

Monument is not available nationwide. Currently, it is available to residents of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Mississippi, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington state, and Washington, D.C. Still, for those interested in seeking medication, therapy, and group support for AUD, we recommend Monument as a solid care option.

Monthly membership is required to access Monument’s services. Membership fees are not covered by insurance. 

Community membership costs $15/month, billed monthly, and grants access to: 

• Therapist-moderated virtual support groups 
• 24/7 anonymous community forum
• SMS-based drink tracker (coming soon)
• Daily affirmations

You can add on further services per your needs and budget. Programs you can add to your community membership include:

• Specialized therapy: Includes everything from community membership plus virtual appointments and chat-based messaging with a therapist
• Medication-assisted treatment: Meet with a licensed physician to discuss your medication options and get a prescription, if appropriate.

If paying out of pocket, these services cost:

• $100 each for physician appointments 
• $149 per month for therapy appointments every other week 
• $249 per month for weekly therapy appointments 

Therapy and medication services may be covered by insurance; check with your insurance provider to confirm coverage terms. Monument accepts Medicare, Aetna, Anthem, Cigna, Optum/UnitedHealthcare, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and other plans. Specific plan coverage varies by state. 

Most of the 105 users of Monument who we surveyed had generally positive experiences with the service, especially on the point of provider expertise. In all, 78% of users rated their overall experience at Monument as good, very good, or excellent, and three-quarters of users rated their experience with its psychiatry and medication management services the same way. In addition, 69% of users surveyed rated prescriber qualifications positively, and three-quarters rated prescriber bedside manner positively. Finally, 65% of users surveyed said they’d recommend Monument’s psychiatry and medication management services to a friend.

Best for Anxiety and Depression : Brightside

• Price: $95-$349 per month
• Type Of Therapy: Individual Therapy, Medication Management, Psychiatry

Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental health conditions in America, affecting approximately 30% of adults at some point in their lives. As for depression, nearly 17% of U.S. adults will experience depression during their lifetime. That’s why we love Brightside Health. It specializes in treating anxiety and depression online by offering psychotherapy and psychiatry services. It provides streamlined, coordinated treatment plans for all types of anxiety and depression, and is available in all 50 states. In our research into 80 online mental health companies, Brightside stood out among the competition for its focus on tracking patient progress to ensure improvement. It has patients regularly fill out surveys to track their symptoms, allowing provider teams to see whether treatment is working or not and then make adjustments to medications or therapy approaches accordingly.

Coordinated platform for therapy and psychiatry/medication management

Primary focus on depression and anxiety

Access video appointments on website or app

Asserts 60 million Americans eligible to access services using health insurance

Uses evidence-based approaches of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and medication

Adults only (18 and over)

Excludes more severe psychiatric conditions

Provider is selected for you

Only video appointments

Short sessions

Our Experience

We had three people test out Brightside Health ’s mental health services from North Carolina, California, and New York, three different-sized markets in different areas of the country. Each time, we tried the service for at least a month and tested out at least two different providers to gauge provider availability and quality and the therapist-switching process.

We were consistently impressed by the high quality of the providers and the care we received at Brightside. Not only was every provider highly qualified—with a decade or more of experience in the field—but they were also personable and warm. 

One thing we liked about Brightside’s care model was that it offers coordinated psychiatry and psychotherapy services. What’s more, you can sign up for either service individually or purchase a bundle of both services at a discount. And while Brightside accepts most major insurance plans, we really love that even without insurance, its services are on the low end of the average cost of therapy . 

Brightside’s out-of-pocket prices for psychiatry services are especially low: For $95 a month, you receive one 15-minute psychiatric appointment, medication delivery ($15 per medication), and ongoing provider support, including medication adjustments. This is much lower than the national average for psychiatric care, where an initial evaluation can run as much as $500 and follow-up visits are in the neighborhood of $200 each. Since the potentially high costs of treatment can compound any pre-existing anxiety, Brightside’s relative affordability with or without insurance makes us feel particularly good about recommending the service.

One of the best things we found about Brightside’s psychiatric care was that most prescribers are psychiatrists rather than general practitioners or physician’s assistants. Medical providers who are specially trained in psychiatry are better qualified to diagnose and medicate mental health conditions than other providers.

In our survey, most Brightside users (60%) reported being seen by a psychiatrist, which was significantly higher than the average of 38% reported for all companies. We also appreciated that the service appears to have an appropriately conservative approach to psychotropic medications. To accurately diagnose a mental health condition and recommend the best potential medication often takes more than one appointment, so we were happy to see that most Brightside users (68%) said they were prescribed medication after two to four visits with their provider.

Another perk of Brightside is the user-friendly platform with streamlined sign-up and care, which is available via the website or the Brightside app.

After you complete the free assessment questionnaire and select a monthly flat-fee plan, you'll be assigned a treatment provider. Therapy is accessible via weekly video sessions and additional a la carte sessions (for an additional fee) as needed, as well as unlimited messaging with providers (with a 24- to 48-hour response time on weekends). 

Psychiatry is available via additional video sessions. Treatment is targeted toward modalities and medications that address anxiety and depression, including cognitive behavioral therapy , app-based exercises to use on your own, and symptom progress trackers. 

One of Brightside’s biggest weaknesses, though, is the short session length. Therapy sessions run 30 minutes, and after the initial psychiatric evaluation, follow-up psychiatry sessions are only 15 minutes long. Therapy sessions tend to run 45 minutes to an hour on average at other services, though—while a few companies offer 30-minute follow-up psychiatry appointments—15-minute follow-ups are pretty standard. In addition, controlled substances (such as Xanax or other benzodiazepines ) are not prescribed, so for more severe or specific diagnoses that require them, Brightside may not be ideal.

Brightside offers three plans, which all include a 12-week self-care syllabus.

• Medication only: $95/month for one 15-minute psychiatric evaluation, medication delivery, and ongoing provider support, including medication adjustments
• Therapy only: $299/month for unlimited messaging and four monthly sessions with your therapist; additional appointments available for $59 per session
• Therapy and medication: $349/month; includes everything in the two other plans

In addition to health savings account (HSA) and flexible spending account (FSA) payments, Brightside Health accepts the following insurance plans (may vary by state):

• Cigna/Evernorth
• Optum/UnitedHealthcare
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas
• Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana

Brightside was rated highly by the 105 users we surveyed. Overall, 93% rated the medication management and psychiatry services as good, very good, or excellent, significantly higher than the 74% average for all companies whose users we surveyed. However, only 19% thought the psychiatric sessions were long enough for their needs. When asked what they liked about Brightside’s psychiatry and medication management services, 60% of users said their prescriber was available when they needed them. What’s more, 83% of users said they’d recommend Brightside’s psychiatry and medication management services to a friend, and the same percentage rated prescriber qualifications as good, very good, or excellent. Finally, three-quarters of users rated prescriber bedside manner as good, very good, or excellent.

Best for Medication Management : Talkiatry

• Price: Depends on your insurance
• Is Insurance Accepted?: Yes. BCBS, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Tricare, Medicare, and others

Talkiatry is our top pick for virtual psychiatric medication management because it prioritizes quality patient care. Talkiatry not only specializes in psychiatry, but it’s also one of the few services that specifically emphasizes psychiatric care delivered by board-certified psychiatrists. At many other companies, psychiatric nurse practitioners, general practitioners, or physician’s assistants primarily provide medication management, but psychiatrists are the most highly trained in mental health care. Among the 80 companies we assessed, Talkiatry stood out for its ability to prescribe controlled substances. This means Talkiatry can treat a much wider array of mental health diagnoses than many other online services, such as bipolar disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and substance use disorder.

Therapy and medication management offered

Longer session times than most other services

Mostly highly trained psychiatrists on staff

Broad variety of diagnoses treated

Treats ages 5 and up

Network of more than 300 psychiatrists

Switching psychiatrists is easy

Can prescribe controlled substances

Accepts insurance

Only accepts patients via insurance

Doesn’t accept Medicaid

Not available in AK, DE, HI, ID, NM, ND, SD, or WY

Cannot treat more severe diagnoses

We had two people test Talkiatry from New York and both had good experiences using the company’s adult psychiatry services. 

We found the psychiatrists to be professional yet kind and conversational at our intake appointment and we loved feeling like we had plenty of time to ask any questions or give more information about our medical and mental health history. Those positive experiences, coupled with the thorough sign-up process, made us feel confident about the appropriateness and personalization of the treatment plan we were subsequently provided with. 

When it came to finding a provider, we loved how Talkiatry asked what we were looking for, like if we preferred they specialize in a certain condition or have specific cultural knowledge/sensitivity. Then we could select a provider from a list of those with availability or peruse suggested matches.

If you’re looking for same-day or next-day care, Talkiatry likely shouldn’t be your first choice: Most initial visits occur about a week from sign-up. But wait times to see an in-person psychiatrist are typically much longer, perhaps even several months, depending on your location.

What impressed us most was Talkiatry’s long sessions. The service’s appointments are double the length of most other online mental health companies: psychiatric intake sessions last 60 minutes and follow-up appointments last 30 minutes. We felt these longer sessions promoted a higher level of patient care because they gave us plenty of time to explain our situation and gave providers plenty of time to get all of the information they needed from us in order to form a complete picture of our mental health. 

We enjoyed being able to send direct messages to our prescriber anytime in Talkiatry’s Healow app and get a response within 48 hours. While many other online mental health companies allow you to message your therapist at any time, we’ve come across very few services that allow you to message your psychiatrist.

Happily, we found that making follow-up appointments or switching providers was simple. Talk therapy is also available on Talkiatry, but requires a referral from one of its psychiatrists. 

Another aspect of Talkiatry’s service that we love is that it treats children as young as age 5, a rarity among online psychiatry providers. Child psychiatry is another crucial care shortage area for mental health treatment. Because the need for care far exceeds its availability, child mental health was declared a national emergency by the American Academy of Pediatrics in October 2021. In the U.S., the average wait time to see a child psychiatrist is around seven and a half weeks. Talkiatry can go a long way in helping to fill this huge gap in service.

One area we had to investigate before recommending Talkiatry’s medication management services was its record of responsible prescribing practices. This is a particularly important concern when a service provides psychiatric care for young children. It’s not uncommon for telehealth companies to get into hot water for allegedly overprescribing certain psychiatric prescriptions.  

Given Talkiatry’s ability to prescribe controlled substances, such as stimulants for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or benzodiazepines for anxiety, we wanted to be especially prudent about assessing its provision of medications. Our research and testing show we can be confident about Talkiatry’s approach to medication and the appropriateness and general reliability of its prescribing practices. In our survey, three-quarters of Talkiatry users reported having between two and four appointments before being prescribed medication. This is good news since we prefer that psychiatrists see patients more than once before determining if medication is a good idea and which one might be the best fit.

One thing to be aware of with Talkiatry is that care is only available via health insurance—there is no self-pay option. Another downside is that the service is not available to residents of Alaska, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Wyoming. 

We believe the high level of care provided by Talkiatry, coupled with its wide range of ages treated and its ability to treat a wider variety of conditions, make it a great psychiatric medication management provider. 

Talkiatry only accepts patients via health insurance. It takes most insurance plans and automatically screens for approval. To see an estimate of your copay before signing up, you can input your insurance information. Even with insurance, accessing in-person psychiatric care can be difficult due to limited and outdated network listings with long waiting lists. Talkiatry helps with that, although the service is not available in all states and some areas have fewer prescriber options. There are no subscription costs; the service uses a pay-per-visit model.

In our user survey, Talkiatry was one of the highest-rated companies when it came to whether users would recommend the service to a friend, with 87% of users saying it was likely or very likely they’d do so. This was much higher than the average for all companies of 71%. Nearly all of the 105 surveyed users reported having a positive experience with Talkiatry: 95% said their overall experience at Talkiatry was good, very good, or excellent, and nearly nine in 10 users rated its psychiatry and medication management services as good, very good, or excellent. In addition, 86% rated prescriber qualifications positively, and 85% rated prescriber bedside manner positively. Finally, nine out of 10 users were satisfied with the provider options in their state.

Best for Patient Support : Talkspace

• Price: $69-$109 a week for therapy, billed monthly; $65 for additional sessions
• Type Of Therapy: Couples Therapy, Individual Therapy, Medication Management, Psychiatry, Teen Counseling

Get $85 off your first month with code VERYWELL85 .

Talkspace emphasizes easy accessibility to its experienced mental health treatment providers by allowing you to contact your provider any time day or night with guaranteed responses five days a week, and offering text-only therapy for even more convenience. Access to care is one of Talkspace’s major strengths, with well-qualified therapists and psychiatric providers available within 48 hours after completing a brief assessment questionnaire. After you are assigned a provider, you can message your therapist anytime via the app. Talkspace has a particularly broad network of providers, which helps in terms of accessing more specialized care for certain diagnoses. Unlike many other online platforms, Talkspace can help with conditions such as eating disorders, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

Easy to use, accessible platform

Treats wide range of mental health diagnoses

Large network of providers available in most states

Asserts 100 million Americans can access service via insurance

Can participate in appointments via the app or website

Can message providers between sessions

Text-based therapy is not ideal for everyone

Psychiatric services can be costly if you pay out-of-pocket

Provider assigned to you from a small number of preselected choices

Talkspace is one of the better-known online mental health services out there, boasting millions of users. That's due in part to its well-designed website, easy-to-use app, affordable care bundles, and well-funded ad campaigns featuring celebrity promoters. Because it’s so popular, we wanted to be sure to do our due diligence in putting its service to the test, so we had nine people from across the country test out Talkspace. 

Testers hailed from markets large and small: California, Florida, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, and South Dakota. We also instructed testers to try out at least two different providers at the service. Varied market sizes and meeting with multiple therapists allowed us to better assess Talkspace’s provider availability and quality. Overall, we had a positive experience. All of the providers we met with were warm, patient, and understanding.

Talkspace's online psychiatrists can help with a variety of conditions, such as anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), panic disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and insomnia. Like most telehealth services, Talkspace cannot prescribe medications deemed controlled substances. 

Although therapy services are available via video, phone call, live chat, or asynchronous text,  psychiatry services are only accessible via video visits—however, we love that you can message your provider at any time between visits, a rarity among telepsychiatry services. Talkspace truly makes mental health care accessible from anywhere by allowing you to schedule and participate in your appointments on the Talkspace app or website, and letting you be in contact with your psychiatrist anytime you need them helps Talkspace support its patients in a way few online therapy companies allow.

Another big perk of Talkspace is its acceptance of insurance. Many large, popular teletherapy platforms, such as BetterHelp, do not accept any type of insurance, making care financially out of reach for many. Talkspace asserts that 100 million Americans have access to its services—including psychiatry services—through their health insurance.

One thing of note that we found was that our second provider was often a better fit for our needs than the ones we were initially matched with. That wasn’t a problem given the many provider choices available to us and how easy it was to switch providers. 

In addition, while mainly text-based therapy is appealing for some, it can feel more impersonal and emotionally disconnected for many others and isn’t always the ideal standard for mental health care. Our experience reflected this dip in care quality with messaging. Therapists are required to respond once a day, but they often took 12 hours to respond.

The biggest issue was that the therapist’s text responses sometimes felt canned and impersonal, as if they had been copied and pasted from a script. So we only recommend therapy via asynchronous texting for mild concerns, short-term care needs, or as a complement to live therapy sessions and/or psychiatric services. 

While the service offers several tiers of therapy bundles of various prices based on how you want to communicate with your therapist, we wish it offered a money-saving bundle that included both therapy and psychiatry/medication management services, as Brightside Health does. As it is, Talkspace’s psychiatry services are not included in any of its subscription plans.

Given its wide insurance coverage, ability to treat a wider range of conditions than other platforms, availability of medication management and therapy services, and ability to message providers between sessions, we think Talkspace is a great option for online mental health care.

Talkspace’s psychiatry fees are higher than many other platforms and are not included in any therapy bundles. That means its psychiatric services may be out of reach for many due to cost. 

Talkspace offers three therapy plans:

• Messaging Therapy: From $69/week, includes unlimited messaging with daily therapist responses five days a week
• Live Therapy: From $99/week, includes four live therapy sessions a month via live chat, phone, or video
• Live + Messaging Therapy: From $129/week, includes messaging and four live sessions

There are no plans that include psychiatry. An initial psychiatric evaluation costs $249 and lasts between 20 and 90 minutes. Follow-up appointments are $125 each. If medication is prescribed, that will be an additional cost.

Talkspace was rated one of the easiest platforms to navigate in our user survey, with 82% of the 105 Talkspace users we surveyed saying it was easy or very easy, much higher than the 64% average for all companies. Plus, nearly all users said the company was better than other, similar services they’d tried in the past. It was also one of the highest-rated platforms for patients feeling much better afterward and for flexible scheduling. Also, this site had one of the best ratings for prescriber availability, and 93% of users rated prescriber qualifications highly. Of the users surveyed, nine out of 10 rated both their overall experience at Talkspace and the platform’s psychiatry and medication management services as good, very good, or excellent. Overall, 95% of users said they’d recommend Talkspace’s psychiatry and medication management services to a friend or family member.

Best for Ease of Use : Thriveworks

• Price: $160 - $240 per therapy session, $300 - $375 for initial psychiatry/medication management session, $210 - $300 for follow-ups
• Type Of Therapy: Couples Therapy, Family Therapy, Group Therapy, Individual Therapy, Medication Management, Psychiatry, Teen Counseling

If you’re looking for an online mental health service with the convenience and ease of use of a large company, but the feel of a boutique private practice, look no further than Thriveworks. Many companies claim to offer a variety of services, but once you get to the website you can’t see how to sign up for that specific offering. At Thriveworks, things couldn’t be more simple or straightforward. Thriveworks is a comprehensive online psychiatry and therapy platform that offers access to a vast network of well-qualified providers. Simply click on which service you need—psychiatry, individual therapy, family therapy, child therapy, or couples counseling—and you’ll see a list of provider options and their next available appointment slots. Best of all, it doesn’t hide tons of info behind a member paywall, so you can peruse provider profiles, insurance details, prices, and appointment availability without signing up.

Wide range of appointment times

Easy scheduling

Can see provider bios, prices, insurance info, and available appointments before sign up

Can choose your provider

Q&A coach available 24/7

Accepts most major insurance plans

Online psychiatry available to ages 14 and up

Individual therapy for children and adults, couples therapy, and family therapy available

Psychiatry/medication management not available in all states

Platform more disjointed when coordinating with med management

Providers for teen/child services not as plentiful as adult services

The four people who tested Thriveworks —from Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Massachusetts— signed up for various services, including child therapy, adult therapy, and couples counseling. One of the most common words in our testers’ reports of their Thriveworks experience was “easy.” From signing up, finding information on the website, and getting ahold of customer service to scheduling sessions, switching providers, or adding a psychiatrist to your care team—you name it, we found it easy. 

Provider availability was a key feature of Thriveworks, both in our testing and survey of 105 Thriveworks clients. It’s no wonder since appointments are available seven days a week.

Our testers found that therapy appointments were often available within 48 hours, and Thriveworks asserts it will do its best to get you an appointment with a therapist within three to five days of signing up. As for psychiatry services, Thriveworks says most users can see a provider within seven days of signing up. We found that if you live in a larger state, you will likely be able to find an appointment within three to five days.

Providers are available at a range of hours and for frequent sessions, though appointments outside of typical business hours will tend to fill up first. 

Therapy services are available to children (any age) and adults, while psychiatry services are available to anyone age 14 and up. In our experience, though, provider availability for adult services was much more robust than for child/teen services. In many areas, filtering our search for providers who offered teen/child therapy or psychiatry dramatically reduced our list of provider options. 

When asked what they liked best about Thriveworks’ psychiatry services, 68% of users we surveyed said their prescriber was available when they needed them. This was much higher than the 37% average for all companies whose users we surveyed. There were several other things users noted appreciating, with more than one-third reporting they felt like prescribers were responsive to their questions and medication needs, cared about their well-being, and respected their wants and needs regarding medication. This high level of satisfaction with Thriveworks’s providers and a sense that they truly cared about us and our issues may partly be because the service’s psychiatry appointments are 30 minutes long—double the industry norm of 15 minutes for most follow-up psychiatry sessions.

We were impressed to find that most of the prescribers at Thriveworks are psychiatrists, rather than general practitioners or physician’s assistants. Providers with specialized training in psychiatry are better equipped to diagnose mental health conditions and prescribe the appropriate medications. In our survey, nearly two-thirds of users reported their prescriber was a psychiatrist.

One caveat is that the network of psychiatrists is smaller and limited to 26 states and the District of Columbia.

While therapy services are available in every state except Vermont, psychiatry services are only available to residents of Arizona, Arkansas, California Connecticut, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, Washington, and Washington D.C.

We feel confident that Thriveworks’ ease of use, coupled with its highly qualified providers, insurance acceptance, and range of appointment times, make it a great choice for people who don’t want the task of finding the mental health care they need to turn into yet another complicated, time-consuming project. 

Thriveworks’ providers all accept different insurance plans, which sounds annoying until you hear that you can filter therapists by which insurance plans they accept. Among the accepted plans are:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield
• Cigna | Evernorth

If you’re paying out of pocket, prices also vary by provider: for example, you may pay $200 for a first-time therapy session and then $160 for subsequent sessions. For psychiatry/medication management, initial intake sessions start at around $300, with follow-ups at around $210. Each provider’s rates can be found on their profile page.

Nine out of ten users reported overall satisfaction with their Thriveworks experience. The company’s psychiatry and medication management services were especially beloved by those surveyed: Nearly all users rated these services as good, very good, or excellent, 93% rated prescriber bedside manner as good, very good, or excellent, and the same percentage said they’d recommend these services to a friend or family member. In addition, 88% rated prescriber qualifications as good, very good, or excellent. Thriveworks also scored higher than average on the points of ease of sign-up and ease of finding a provider.

Best for Flexible Scheduling : Doctor on Demand

• Price: $134-$184 per therapy session; $299 for psychiatric consultation: $129 per psychiatric follow-up
• Type Of Therapy: Individual Therapy, Medication Management, Psychiatry, Teen Counseling

Doctor on Demand is a large telehealth site that offers medical as well as mental healthcare services, including therapy and medication management. The company stood out among the 80 other services we assessed for having same-day and next-day appointments available in many areas, offering night and weekend appointments, and providing 24/7 coaching services. Doctor on Demand also boasts an impressively broad selection of highly qualified providers, high customer satisfaction ratings, and a collaborative care model that allows your therapist and psychiatrist to work together. Also notable is that the company offers treatment for a wide array of psychiatric diagnoses and can treat children as well as adults. With simple scheduling and acceptance of most major insurers—including Medicare—Doctor on Demand makes it simple to find affordable care quickly.

Most prescribers are psychiatrists rather than physician’s assistants or nurse practitioners

Evening and weekend appointment times available

Same-day or next-day appointments may be available (depending on location)

Mental health services available to children ages 1 to 17 (with guardian participation)

Checks insurance coverage and shows your copay during sign-up

Accepts over 300 insurance plans, including Medicare

Available nationwide

Can schedule and participate in appointments via web portal or app

Controlled substances not available

Only video sessions

Can be pricey if out of network

Only search filters for provider identity are gender and languages spoken

Can’t see list of accepted insurance plans until during sign-up

Must create an account to see providers and appointment availability

Can’t contact providers between sessions

We assigned two testers to sign up for mental health services at Doctor on Demand. One was an adult from North Carolina and the other tried out both Doctor on Demand’s teen psychiatry services and individual adult therapy services from Pennsylvania. Each time we were seeking treatment for anxiety, and each time we had a great experience. 

We love that the service offers appointments during a much wider timeframe than most other companies.

We found open time slots for mental health sessions from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. ET, seven days a week. And we found that psychiatrist appointment openings were far more plentiful than therapy sessions.

Doctor on Demand offers one of the fastest initial access times for a mental health provider: You may be able to score an appointment within a few hours, depending on your location and schedule. So if you’re looking for same-day or next-day service, this may be the site for you. 

This wide appointment availability comes with caveats, of course. If you live in a smaller state or have a very limited timeframe for when you can schedule appointments, finding an appointment quickly may prove more difficult. Alternatively, if you have a pretty open schedule and can snap up the soonest available appointment, you may be seeing a provider that day or the next. In addition, if you prefer to choose an appointment by the provider rather than by the soonest opening, we typically find that a good provider match can be worth the wait of a few more days. In most cases, you should be able to find an appointment within a week.

We also loved how easy it was to sign up. Simply create an account by providing your personal details and insurance information (if applicable). Then you’ve got access to a portal where you can request an appointment, complete a mental health screening questionnaire, add family members, see your visit history, or message customer support. We really appreciated that as soon as we entered our insurance information, we were shown our copays for various visit types. This was helpful to have before we booked any appointments. 

When making a mental health appointment, we could specify whether we were looking for a therapy or psychiatry session.  

While we weren’t required to fill out a mental health screening before requesting an appointment, it’s best to do so since it gives the provider a better picture of your mental health going into the appointment. After filling out the screening, we received recommendations for treatment as well as a list of providers to choose from and their appointment availability for the coming weeks.

When searching for a provider, we could filter the list of provider options based on their availability, specialty/focus area, gender, and language; however, one thing we didn’t like was that we couldn’t filter based on our preferences for provider race, religion, or sexuality. We were also concerned that there was nothing denoting “LGBTQIA+ ally” or “BIPOC cultural sensitivity” on provider bios. Explicitly designating themselves as culturally aware and/or queer-affirming is increasingly important for mental health providers. While we felt it was important for potential patients to be aware of these lacking features, please note that we have no reports of Doctor on Demand providers being intolerant, and the company backs up its commitment to diversity with data about the identities of its providers.

We really appreciated the quality of Doctor on Demand providers: they were understanding, approachable, and offered helpful insights into our issues. We felt heard and understood and never rushed.

We love that Doctor on Demand fosters communication and collaboration among the members of your care team, a rarity at most large telehealth services. That means if you’re seeing both a therapist and a psychiatrist at the company, they work together to share notes about your case to improve the overall care you’re receiving.

We feel confident in recommending Doctor On Demand. It allows patients access to specialized care with insurance during a wider range of times than most other services.

At Doctor on Demand, there are no subscription fees: you pay per appointment. The service accepts insurance, but if you’re paying out of pocket, you can use a credit card, PayPal, an HSA, or an FSA. The out-of-pocket cost for psychiatry sessions is $299 for the initial 45-minute intake appointment; subsequent 15-minute follow-up sessions are $129 each. You can extend the sessions for an additional fee if needed. For therapy, you have the choice between a 25-minute session for $129 or a 50-minute session for $179. Note that the system automatically signs you up for the 50-minute therapy session; you have to go in and change the session length if you want the shorter option.

Overall, Doctor on Demand had high satisfaction ratings across several categories including ease of use of platform, responsive providers, and generally feeling all needs were met. Of the 105 users we surveyed, an incredible 94% said they were satisfied with their overall experience at Doctor on Demand, and 84% rated its psychiatry and medication management services as good, very good, or excellent. In addition, nine out of ten users rated prescriber qualifications highly, and 85% rated their prescriber’s bedside manner as good, very good, or excellent. Users especially found their prescribers to be caring and conscientious: Three-quarters of users said their provider took plenty of time to evaluate them, and 69% said their provider really listened to them. Finally, 81% said it was likely they would recommend Doctor on Demand’s psychiatry and medication management services to a friend or family member. The same percentage said the service was better than other, similar services they’d tried in the past.

Best for Budget : LiveHealth Online

• Price: $80-95 per therapy session; $175 or less for an initial psychiatry session; $75 per follow-up
• Type Of Therapy: Children's Therapy, Couples Therapy, Family Therapy, Individual Therapy, Medication Management, Psychiatry, Teen Counseling

One of the biggest barriers to mental health care is high out-of-pocket costs. That’s why we love LiveHealth Online. It offers one of the widest networks of highly qualified providers at one of the lowest costs, with an easy-to-use, comprehensive platform. Among the 80 companies we assessed, LiveHealth Online stood out for its low out-of-pocket prices. After the initial $175 psychiatric intake appointment, follow-up visits with a psychiatrist are just $75 each. These prices are less than half the national average for psychiatric care, which is around $500 for an initial session and $200 for follow-up sessions. As for talk therapy sessions at LiveHealth Online, those cost $80 per visit with a therapist or $95 per visit with a psychologist, on the lower end of the national average cost. Even better, you don’t need to pay a membership fee or pre-pay for a large bundle of sessions to enjoy these low rates. Plus, LiveHealth Online is incredibly transparent about its pricing. The cost of each service is clearly listed on its webpage, not hidden somewhere in the FAQs or held back until sign-up, as is frequently the case on other telehealth platforms.

Per-visit out-of-pocket costs lower than most other services

Covers most common psychiatric conditions

Talk therapy also available for ages 10 and up

Can schedule and participate in appointments via website or app

LGBTQ-affirming providers denoted with “ally” rainbow flag on profile

Doesn't take as many insurance plans as some other companies

Initial psychiatry visit may be up to a two-week wait

Psychiatric care only for ages 18 and up

Not all providers LGBTQ+ affirming

Provider availability during nights and weekends may be limited

LiveHealth Online is a well-organized, easy-to-use telehealth site offering virtual medical and mental health services in all 50 states. We assigned two people to test its mental health services, one from California and one from Ohio, and had a mix of good and not-so-good experiences. We appreciated that at the beginning of appointments, therapists laid out clear expectations for the session and detailed their expertise and availability. While we found that most of our providers were helpful and easy to talk to, one used antiquated, offensive language concerning trans people despite being identified as an LGBTQIA+ ally on their profile. If you or someone you love is a member of this group, another site may be a better fit. Still, the low out-of-pocket prices at LiveHealth—with an initial psychiatric assessment costing $175 and follow-up sessions costing $75, which are prices almost unheard of in the psychiatry industry—made it stand out as a good resource for those who cannot afford the usual exorbitant prices of psychiatric services.

In addition to affordability, we loved that LiveHealth Online makes care more accessible by allowing you to participate in video appointments via its website or phone app. That means you can truly access care from just about anywhere.

The fact that LiveHealth Online’s providers receive additional training on how to deliver care virtually really showed in our experience. It was clear that providers had experience and expertise in delivering mental health care online. This is a special skill that we have discovered not all online providers possess.

We also appreciated that the video call experience was more intuitive and much less glitchy than many other online therapy platforms we’ve tried. In addition, the app was easy to navigate and the in-app sound and video quality were great. 

Evening and weekend appointments are available, and there is a provider on call 24/7 if you have an urgent issue or question, such as a problem with medication or side effects. Unfortunately, though, we found that it may take longer to get an appointment at LiveHealth Online than at some other telehealth services. The company states you should be able to find an appointment within 14 days. While that’s still a lot sooner than most in-person services, if you need care more quickly, another service might serve you better. The longer wait time likely reflects LiveHealth Online’s popularity with customers who appreciate the low cost of service. If paying out of pocket, the affordability and overall quality make LiveHealth Online worth the wait.

LiveHealth Online didn’t match us with a provider but showed us a curated list based on provider availability, and then we got to choose one by reading their profiles.

In California, we looked specifically for a provider who was an LGBTQIA+ ally since we would be discussing our relationship with a trans man. LGBTQ-affirming providers are denoted on the site by an “ally” rainbow flag appearing on their profile picture. Of the two dozen provider options we were offered in this state, only three openly identified themselves as allies. 

While that doesn’t mean all of the others would be hostile or disapproving of LGBTQIA+ identities, it does mean they didn’t find it important enough to include on their profile. Of those three options, the soonest appointments for two of them were seven or eight months away; they actually didn’t have any appointment openings for the rest of the calendar year. We hoped these rainbow-flagged providers would prove a safer option for us as a queer therapy-seeker, but unfortunately, the “ally” therapist we worked with (the only one with availability) turned out to be anything but. They even repeatedly misgendered our trans partner. 

While people aged 10 and up can participate in talk therapy at LiveHealth Online, a drawback of the platform is that psychiatric services are only available to adults.

Like several other telehealth platforms, LiveHealth cannot prescribe controlled substances, so it is not ideal for people whose conditions may benefit from them. Psychiatric intake appointments last about an hour while your psychiatrist gathers information about your symptoms, previous diagnoses, and medical and medication history. Follow-up appointments will be much shorter, 15 to 30 minutes. Overall, we recommend LiveHealth Online for low-cost, accessible adult psychiatry, though we advise LGBTQIA+ people to tread carefully.

LiveHealth Online follows a pay-per-visit model with no monthly fees. It also accepts several major insurance companies, although not as many as some other large telehealth platforms. Most plans from Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, Anthem Blue Cross, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia, Empire Blue Cross, and Empire Blue Cross Blue and Shield are accepted. It also has some of the lowest out-of-pocket pricing per visit. 

Out-of-pocket, you’ll pay:

• $80 to $95 for talk therapy sessions, depending on your therapist’s level of experience
• $175 for an initial consultation with a psychiatrist; $75 for each subsequent visit

LiveHealth Online was rated highly by users on many survey questions. Our 105 users especially appreciated LiveHealth Online’s affordability, convenience, and psychiatrist availability. Overall, 87% of users rated its psychiatry and medication management services as excellent, very good, or good, and the same percentage said they would recommend the company to a friend or family member. The platform also had one of the higher ratings for respectful providers and ease of connecting to a therapist. It was also one of the sites with the highest number of patients using insurance coverage at 69%. LiveHealth Online users were also impressed with its prescribers, with 89% rating prescriber qualifications as excellent, very good, or good, and 83% rating prescriber bedside manner as excellent, very good, or good.

Best for Provider Options : MDLIVE

• Price: Up to $108 for therapy; up to $284 for psychiatry
• Type Of Therapy: Individual Therapy, Medication Management

As one of the largest telehealth companies in the U.S., MDLIVE makes connecting with an experienced, credentialed prescriber much more convenient and accessible. MDLIVE is an easy-to-use telehealth platform offering comprehensive mental health services. MDLIVE stood out among the 80 companies we looked at for its abundance of well-vetted provider options across most of the country. In our survey of 105 MDLIVE users, 82% reported being satisfied with the service’s provider options, making it one of the highest-rated companies in this category and scoring much higher than the average for all companies we assessed (69%). When asked to rate the number of quality providers available in their state, MDLIVE was on the higher end again, with 82% of users rating the options as good, very good, or excellent.

Choose your provider from an easy-to-use directory based on profiles and availability

Accessible services, including 24/7 customer support

24/7 medical appointments available 365 days a year

Mental health services available to ages 10 and up

Transparent pricing

Can message provider anytime in patient portal

Costs lower than other services, even without insurance

No controlled substances prescribed

Full list of accepted insurance plans not available until signing up

May have technical issues with video appointments

Certain diagnoses are not treated, such as ADHD

Among our four MDLIVE testers from Connecticut, Missouri, Michigan, and Florida, what impressed us most was the wide range of providers available. MDLIVE asserts that its clinical network is the largest in the nation. Plus, the company is available in all 50 states, Washington DC, and Puerto Rico. Thanks to its large network of vetted, licensed, and board-certified providers, MDLIVE offers access to psychiatric treatment for a wide array of diagnoses, typically within a week.

For example, our testing found 24 therapists available in New York, with six of those having an open appointment within the next two days; California boasted an especially long list of providers (both therapists and psychiatrists), though the wait for appointments was closer to weeks than days.

We appreciated that evening and weekend appointments were available, as well as 24/7 access to customer service. Even better, MDLIVE’s mental health services are available for children and teens ages 10 and up, a rare offering at most telehealth companies.

We were also impressed by the providers’ experience levels and varying types of expertise. Most providers had at least several years of experience. You can choose your provider directly from an easy-to-navigate index when you register.

Being able to read provider profiles and choose one for ourselves based on their specialties, attributes, and availability meant we were sure to find a good match for our needs and situation. The providers who treated us were equal parts helpful and compassionate, professional and approachable: a perfect balance. In fact, we had such a great experience with these highly skilled providers that we would consider continuing treatment with them should we need it.

MDLIVE follows a similar general telehealth model of other large national companies, offering virtual medical care as well as comprehensive therapy and psychiatric services via an easy-to-use platform. Outside of live video appointments, we liked being able to message our provider anytime through the patient portal on the MDLIVE website or phone app. This is a less common offering at many comparable platforms. Similarly, we love how accessible MDLIVE makes mental health services by allowing users to attend appointments either on the website or its phone app.

Another area where MDLIVE stood out was employee satisfaction. The therapists we interviewed at the company said they’ve had a great experience working with the service. They love that MDLIVE doesn’t micromanage their provision of care and that it pays them well for their services compared to other telehealth companies. 

Among the downsides we discovered at MDLIVE were technical issues with video sessions. During one of our sessions, the screen suddenly froze multiple times, then cut out before the appointment was supposed to be over.

Because our session lacked a smooth ending, we felt this glitch affected our ability to develop a good rapport with our provider. Another area of potential concern is whose interests the company prioritizes. Cigna now owns MDLIVE and insurance companies are known to guard their bottom line above all else. Given that, our experts felt users should be on alert for any behavior that seems to be prioritizing the concerns of the company over those of the patient. 

Like most telehealth services, MDLIVE does not prescribe controlled substances. In addition, the company does not treat certain conditions such as ADHD, acute psychosis, active substance use requiring detox, and moderate to severe autism.

While provider and appointment availability varies by state (as with all services), we believe that compared to other large telehealth companies, MDLIVE offers exceptional access to a high number of qualified providers. 

MDLIVE offers therapy as well as psychiatry and medication management services via a pay-per-session model. Several major insurance plans are accepted, including Cigna, Humana, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, and even Medicare and Medicaid in some areas. The company asserts that 62 million Americans have access to MDLIVE as a covered benefit through their health insurance plans. Out-of-pocket, therapy appointments cost $108; psychiatry appointments cost $284 for the initial evaluation, then $108 for subsequent sessions.

In our survey, users rated MDLIVE as one of the top three platforms in terms of ease of navigation. It was also rated the highest among all companies for responsiveness of providers. While just over nine out of ten users rated their overall experience at MDLIVE positively, only 73% of users rated the platform’s psychiatry and medication management services positively. Still, 90% of users rated prescriber qualifications as good, very good, or excellent, and 88% rated prescriber bedside manner as good, very good, or excellent. In addition, 80% of users said they’d recommend MDLIVE’s psychiatry/medication management services to a friend or family member, which was much higher than the average of 63% of users for all companies.

Compare the 9 Best Online Psychiatry Services, Tried and Tested in 2024

Key considerations for choosing the best online psychiatry service.

There are a variety of factors to consider when choosing which online psychiatry service is best for you:

• Price: Cost and insurance coverage are clearly important factors (as reported on our user survey), so it’s important to review fees and insurance plans accepted before signing up for any service. Know your monthly budget and whether or not you want to pay per session or pay a monthly fee for a set of recurring services. Also, decide whether you’re OK with paying a membership fee in addition to service fees. Consider the length of appointments, provider qualifications, and additional perks (like the ability to message your therapist) when calculating the value for money.  
• Treatment area: The focus of an online psychiatry service is also important: does it specialize in care that includes your particular diagnosis or age group? (For example, certain sites specialize in care for ADHD or depression and anxiety but not much else.) Can it treat multiple issues that you may have (such as additional co-occurring conditions like substance use)? Do you have access to a therapist in addition to a psychiatrist/prescriber? How broad is the service's network of providers where you live, and what are their qualifications? If you’re looking to find out whether or not you’re experiencing a diagnosable condition and what that is, you’ll want to start with a more general online psychiatry service.
• Medication options: The particular medications/prescribing services available are important to check. Most companies are not allowed to prescribe controlled substances. Some may have less experience or comfort with certain types of medications or diagnoses. Access for refills or discussing urgent side effect issues should also be considered. Also, check if medication is a separate charge or included in the service fees.
• Scheduling: Scheduling is one of the best potential advantages of online psychiatry companies, but only if the service actually has good availability for a wide range of times, and with the same provider each time instead of a more worrisome random provider approach. Ease and accuracy of scheduling is also important. If you have a specific need for appointments that fall outside of normal business hours, look for services with the widest range of scheduling options. And be sure to consider if you’re willing to wait a bit longer for service in order to secure appointments at a specific time.
• Financial assistance: Most online psychiatry services accept insurance, and many try to make services affordable even without insurance. Still, some service fees may be able to be waived or reduced, and some psychiatrists may offer sliding scale pricing. It’s always worth emailing customer service to inquire about making services within your financial reach.  
• Ease of switching therapists: You’ll want to be sure the service has a relatively easy way to switch to a different provider in the event you don’t feel that the first one is a good match. Look for services that ensure easy access to customer support for technical issues (such as video signal problems) or billing concerns.

How Do I Choose an Online Psychiatrist?

An array of smiling faces and random facts can be daunting to navigate at first; what are the important things to consider when choosing your mental healthcare provider ?

• Credentials: Did the provider attend well-established or well-known academic training programs? Are they actively board-certified, and in what specialties? Do they have any particular focus or experience in an area related to your condition, or training in a specialized therapy modality (such as CBT or psychoanalysis ) you might benefit from or prefer?
• Experience: How many years out of training is the clinician? Older providers may be more seasoned in some ways but may also sometimes be less up-to-date with the latest treatments and medications. 
• Identity or cultural background: Is it similar to your own? There may be some advantages and comfort in discussing issues with someone from your own background, but in many cases, providers from all backgrounds should be able to provide competent care as long as their approach is empathetic and open. 
• Availability and schedule: You may have found the provider of your dreams, but will their schedule match up with yours? 

What If I'm Having Thoughts of Harming Myself?

Online psychiatry services are typically not intended for people in severe distress or crisis. Anyone with thoughts, urges, or plans of suicide or self-injury, or mental health symptoms that endanger their own or others’ well-being, should seek in-person emergency care ASAP by calling the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or going to their nearest or preferred hospital emergency room. Other free mental health resources include:

• Crisis Text Line : Text HOME to 741741 to connect with a trained volunteer crisis counselor.
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator : Find resources and treatment centers near you for help with substance abuse and other mental health issues. 
• The Trevor Project : LGBTQ youth and young people ages 13-24 can reach a trained crisis counselor by chat, text, or phone, 24/7—no questions asked.

Frequently Asked Questions

What conditions can online psychiatrists help me with.

Psychiatrists are physicians with medical training, (i.e., MD or DO degrees, which take four years to complete) as well as psychiatric residency training, which takes another four years. They can treat a wide array of mental health conditions and are trained to diagnose patients and treat them using both psychotherapy and psychopharmacology. Some specialize or have additional board certification in particular diagnoses (like mood and anxiety, alcohol use, or eating disorders) or age groups (like child/adolescent or geriatric). Online psychiatrists often cannot treat more severe mental health conditions or prescribe controlled substances. For these services, in-person psychiatry would be necessary.

Are All Prescribers of Mental Health Medication Psychiatrists?

People with different qualifications and training are also permitted to prescribe medications, such as primary care physicians, psychiatric nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and, in a few states, psychologists. These other prescribers usually do not have the same amount of rigorous time and training regarding human physiology and pharmacology in combination with psychiatric expertise as psychiatrists, but some have sufficient experience to prescribe medications for routine or mild mental health conditions.

What Is the Difference Between Teletherapy and Telepsychiatry?

Teletherapy is a more general term referring to psychotherapy conducted remotely online. There are numerous licensed and trained specialists who can provide teletherapy, such as licensed mental health therapists, social workers, psychologists, and psychiatrists. Telepsychiatry refers to the practice of psychiatry conducted remotely online and usually refers to services provided specifically by a psychiatrist who does an initial history-taking and diagnostic biopsychosocial assessment, followed by recommendations for treatment involving psychotherapy and/or medication. Psychiatrists are trained in and can also conduct psychotherapy, but a more common treatment model is to split care with a designated psychotherapist and have the psychiatrist focus on medication management.

How Do You Know Online Psychiatrists Are Qualified?

Even if the telehealth platform asserts it screens provider credentials, before making an appointment, you should conduct a quick online search to see whether they have an active medical license in your state, active board certification from the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and no signs of unusual medical board complaints or legal issues.

Do I Need to Currently Be Seeing a Psychiatrist to Receive Medication?

As with any medication, it’s important to receive periodic follow-ups from your qualified prescriber to make sure continuation of your medication at its current dosage is the appropriate plan. For psychiatric conditions, psychiatrists are best able to determine with you what the right medication and the most appropriate follow-up period is. Sometimes if a medication is very stable, routine prescribing can be continued by a primary care provider instead.

Do Online Psychiatrists Accept Insurance?

This depends on the psychiatrist and the platform. Some may screen and validate that your insurance is in-network ahead of time; others may not accept insurance up front and make you do paperwork and send out-of-network billing instead, which can be time-consuming and have higher upfront copays or fees. All of the telepsychiatry services listed in this roundup accept several health insurance plans.

How We Tested and Reviewed Online Therapy Services

We evaluated 80 online therapy companies and therapist directories in order to compile this list.

Firsthand Experience

As part of our research, we signed up for talk therapy at all 55 online therapy companies we reviewed. We tested each company's therapy services, and if the company offered other services (such as couples therapy and kid or teen therapy) we tested those too. Our testers are located all across the United States and abroad, meaning we have extensive information about each company's services in a variety of areas.

User and Brand Surveys

In addition, we surveyed more than 10,000 therapy users: 105 at each of the 55 online therapy companies and 180 at each of the 25 therapist directories. We collected over 100 different data points in which we asked users to evaluate each company's services, from their therapist's qualifications to whether they found a therapist who met all their needs to how they'd rate the company overall. We also sent questionnaires to each company we considered, asking for their perspectives on the services they provide, and we interviewed former patients and therapists at the companies where possible.

In addition to the extensive research we performed on each of the 55 online therapy companies we reviewed, we also researched dozens of therapy directories. We tested each by searching for appropriate therapists for 37 hypothetical scenarios that might lead someone to search for a mental health provider across 18 ZIP codes. We then rated the results by how well the therapists we found in each directory could address each scenario, looking into whether it listed competent, licensed therapists who were qualified to treat these issues.

Expert Recommendations

Once we completed this testing and these surveys, we evaluated our findings with the help of three licensed therapists— Amy Marschall , PsyD; Nic Hardy , PhD, LCSW; and Hannah Owens , LMSW—in order to make our recommendations. These therapists provided extensive insight into the ethics and efficacy of online therapy as well as information about relevant therapeutic modalities and approaches.

VERY WELL MIND / Amelia Manley

Beck AJ, Page C, Buche J, Rittman D, Gaiser M. Estimating the distribution of the U.S. psychiatric subspecialist workforce . University of Michigan School of Public Health: Behavioral Health Workforce Research Center.

Bishop TF, Press MJ, Keyhani S, Pincus HA. Acceptance of insurance by psychiatrists and the implications for access to mental health care . JAMA Psychiatry . 2014;71(2):176-181. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2013.2862

Sun CF, Correll CU, Trestman RL, et al. Low availability, long wait times, and high geographic disparity of psychiatric outpatient care in the US . Gen Hosp Psychiatry . 2023;84:12-17. doi:10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2023.05.012

National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Alcohol use disorder (AUD) in the United States: Age groups and demographic characteristics . 

Mintz CM, Hartz SM, Fisher SL, et al. A cascade of care for alcohol use disorder: Using 2015–2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health data to identify gaps in past 12‐month care . Alcoholism Clin Exp Res . 2021;45(6):1276-1286. doi:10.1111/acer.14609

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Group therapy in substance use treatment . Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Mental health and substance use co-occurring disorders .

American Psychiatric Association. What are anxiety disorders? .

American Psychiatric Association. What is depression? .

Association of American Medical Colleges. A growing psychiatrist shortage and an enormous demand for mental health services .

U.S Department of Health and Human Services. Protecting youth mental health: The Surgeon General's Advisory .

American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. What is child and adolescent psychiatry? .

U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. DEA serves order to show cause on Truepill Pharmacy for its involvement in the unlawful dispensing of prescription stimulants .

Association of American Medical Colleges. Exploring barriers to mental health care in the U.S .

By Jean Kim Jean Kim, MD, MA, is a psychiatrist and writer from the Washington, DC area.

Olivia Campbell is a health and parenting editor at Dotdash Meredith. She is the author of the New York Times bestseller “Women in White Coats: How the First Women Doctors Changed the World of Medicine.”

Simone is the health editorial director for performance marketing at Verywell. She has over a decade of experience as a professional journalist covering mental health, chronic conditions, medicine, and science.

We have a problem! You need to enable cookies to use Lemonaid. Please change your browser settings.

Mental Health

Men’s Health

Top treatments

General Health

Women’s Health

Great care you can afford

• Meet your medical team
• Healthaid blog
• Your account Account overview Personal & billing Visit history Inbox Mental health progress Give $10, get $10!
• Healthaid Blog
• About us Our Story Meet our Lemons Careers at Lemonaid
• Frequently asked questions

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

If you’re having a psychiatric emergency, call 911, go to the nearest emergency room, or call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255.

Anxiety & depression treatment

Ongoing personalized help at a fraction of the cost. Meds delivered to your door.

80% of our mental health patients feel better in 8-12 weeks*

Started about 3 months ago and it took all of the anxiety from going somewhere locally. Fears of being seen in my small town and the stigma of mental health issues kept me from seeking help. This gets the job done from the comfort of your own home. Their team is knowledgeable and genuinely wants to see you succeed.

* 80% of our patients who never took medicines for depression /anxiety see 50% improvement in their PHQ-9 (Depression) or GAD-7 (Anxiety) scores in 8 to 12 weeks.

Our anxiety/depression Rx options

We don't prescribe benzodiazepines like Xanax, Ativan, Valium, and Klonopin.

Lexapro (Escitalopram)

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI)

Zoloft (Sertraline)

Wellbutrin (Bupropion)

Norepinephrine-Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitors (NDRI)

Prozac (Fluoxetine)

How Lemonaid’s anxiety/depression service works

Answer confidential assessment

Immediate video visit with Lemonaid medical team*

Depression/anxiety meds delivered to your door

$95/month, cancel anytime.

We provide the best possible treatment for you by offering full-cycle care - we know no one wants to take medicine forever, so we'll help you work out how long you should continue treatment based on your unique situation.

Our service allows you to have as many check-ins as you need, through messaging, or via phone call or video chat, whatever is most convenient for you! Lemonaid Pharmacy will deliver FDA-approved meds directly to your door in only 2-3 business days.

We're here for you.

You don’t have to feel this way

We can start you on medicines, adjust your medicines until we’ve found an effective one, and help you decide if and when to come off treatment when we’ve reached improvement.

It’s important to understand that antidepressants and anxiety medicines don’t work overnight. It may be 6-8 weeks before you feel any improvement and you’re likely to be on treatment for at least 12 months.

The team at Lemonaid Pharmacy will ship your antidepressants or anxiety meds direct to your door monthly in plain discreet packaging. You don’t need to sign for deliveries.

A simple approach to personalized care

We’re an online doctors office. Our mission is to help you get convenient, affordable great care regardless of where you are in the US. That’s why we operate nationally.

You’re unique, and your care should be too. If you suffer from depression or anxiety, our team of experienced doctors, nurse practitioners and pharmacists provide the personalized care you need at a fraction of the cost of seeing a doctor or nurse practitioner in person. We’ll help you achieve your personal goals and help you work out how long you should be on treatment given your situation.

Call us. We’re here to help

Lemonaid Health is a national telehealth company based in San Francisco, CA.

Treatment & risks

Depression and anxiety are complex. While mental health is one of the most common uses of telemedicine, we aren’t able to help everyone and results don’t happen overnight. If your personal situation is too complex for us to handle, we’ll be straight up with you and recommend you see someone in person.

The antidepressants and anxiety medicines we prescribe online are prescription medicines that are FDA-approved and taken by millions of Americans every day. But like all medicines, they come with the risk of serious side effects. And while we’ll do all we can to personalize your care and find the right treatment plan for your goals, there’s no guarantee that the medicines will work.

What is Depression?

Depression is the most common mental health condition. Too many people feel unable to get help.

Can you diagnose depression online?

Yes. Our doctors and nurse practitioners use the same guidelines and clinical tools to diagnose depression online as a doctor or nurse practitioner would if you saw them in person.

Can you treat depression online?

We can. Our team of experienced doctors, nurse practitioners and pharmacists can give you the help you need. We’ll work with you month by month to establish your goals and help you find the antidepressant medicine that works for you. Once you’ve seen improvement, we’ll work with you to decide if and when to come off treatment.

Lemonaid doesn’t currently offer psychotherapy called ‘cognitive behavioral therapy (‘CBT’), but you may find CBT helpful as a substitute or complement to prescription treatment. Our team will help you find CBT options that are right for you.

Are depression medicines effective?

Yes. Because everyone’s unique, it’s difficult to tell in advance how a particular antidepressant medicine will work for you. That’s why it’s so important that we work with you to adjust your depression medicine if needed. We’ll typically recommend you start with an SSRI, and adjust your medicine and dosage based on how you respond.

As with any medicine, there’s no guarantee that it will work for you.

How quickly do depression meds work?

Antidepressant meds don’t work overnight. It can take 6-8 weeks before you know how a depression medicine works for you, and it can take 3 months before you feel the full benefits.

How long will I need to take depression medicines?

Most people stay on depression medicines for at least 12 months the first time they take them. If your depressions returns repeatedly, one option is to stay on antidepressant medicine lifelong.

What antidepressant meds can I get online?

We prescribe the following antidepressant medicines online:

SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) for depression

Sertraline 50mg and 100mg (generic of Zoloft ) Citalopram 20mg and 40mg (generic of Celexa) Fluoxetine 20mg and 40mg (generic of Prozac ) Escitalopram 10mg and 20mg (generic of Lexapro ) Paroxetine 20mg, 30mg and 40 mg (generic of Paxil)

SNRI (serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors) for depression

Venlafaxine XR 75mg and 150mg (generic of Effexor XR) Duloxetine 30mg and 60mg (generic of Cymbalta)

Atypical Depression Medicines

Bupropion SR or XL 150mg and 300mg (generic of Wellbutrin SR or XL)

Who can we help?

Certain health concerns can be unsafe to treat online. If any of the following apply to you, consider visiting a doctor in person. If you need help, give us a call at 888-536-2267 .

64 or older

Bipolar disorder

You’re suicidal or have had a history of suicide attempts

Taking MAOIs or have taken MAOIs in the previous 2 weeks

Seizure history

Kidney disease

Schizophrenia

You have a bleeding disorder, or taking medications that increase risk of bleeding

Breastfeeding

Glaucoma or family history of glaucoma

History or family history of QT prolongation or arrhythmia

History of serotonin syndrome

Currently take tricyclic antidepressants

Actively using substances including marijuana

Actively using alcohol

You need time off work, wish for file for disability or work compensation

What is Anxiety?

Occasional anxiety is a normal part of life. But excessive anxiety means you have intense, excessive and persistent worry and fear about everyday situations. These feelings are often difficult to control and can be stressful. They can make it hard to function day to day.

Can you diagnose anxiety online?

Yes. Our doctors and nurse practitioners use the same guidelines to diagnose anxiety online as doctors and nurse practitioners in traditional practice.

Can you treat anxiety online?

You can. Lemonaid can help you understand your anxiety and, if appropriate, prescribe anxiety medicines after an online video consultation. We’ll work with you over several months to figure out the best medicine and dosage for you.

Lemonaid doesn’t currently offer psychotherapy called ‘cognitive behavioral therapy (‘CBT’), but we’ll help you find CBT that’s right for you if you want to give it a try. CBT can work as a complement or substitute to anxiety medicines.

Are anxiety medicines effective?

They are. How a particular anxiety medicine works for you is difficult to tell in advance. That’s why it’s so important that we work with you to adjust your anxiety medicine if needed.

How quickly do anxiety meds work?

Anxiety medicines don’t work overnight. You may need to take an anxiety medicine for 4-8 weeks before you get a sense of how it’s working for you. You’ll probably see the full benefits of the medicines after 3 months.

How long will I need to take anxiety medicines?

Most people stay on anxiety medicines for 12 months the first time they take them. If your anxiety returns, then one option is to stay on anxiety medicines lifelong.

What anxiety medicines can I get online?

We prescribe the following anxiety medicines online:

SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors) for anxiety

Sertraline 25mg, 50mg and 100mg (generic of Zoloft ) Citalopram 10mg, 20mg and 40mg (generic of Celexa) Fluoxetine 10mg, 20mg and 40mg (generic of Prozac ) Escitalopram 5mg, 10mg and 20mg (generic of Lexapro ) Paroxetine 10mg, 20mg, 30mg, 40mg (generic of Paxil)

SNRI (serotonin–norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors ) for anxiety

• Birth Control
• Emergency Contraception
• Melasma Treatment
• Eyelash Growth Serum
• Acne Treatment
• Fine Lines & Wrinkles Treatment
• Dark Spot Treatment
• Rosacea Treatment
• Over-the-Counter Skincare
• Psoriasis Treatment
• Eczema Treatment
• Women’s Hair Loss
• Men’s Hair Loss
• Anxiety Treatment
• Depression Treatment
• UTI Treatment
• Yeast Infection Treatment
• Bacterial Vaginosis Treatment
• STI Testing
• HPV Screening
• Fertility & Pregnancy Tests
• Genital Herpes Treatment
• Cold Sore Treatment
• Migraine Treatment
• Menopause Treatment
• Help & FAQs
• Our Medical Team
• Get Started

What You Need to Know About Getting Anti-Anxiety Medication Online with Telehealth

Medically reviewed by Susan Vachon, PA-C on February 4, 2022

If you think (or already know) you have anxiety , you might not have easy access to a doctor to get treatment. If your nearest clinic is 100 miles away, that’s not a short trip you can take any time. Even if you have a doctor next door, sometimes life is too hectic to schedule an appointment.

That’s why you may want to consider getting an evaluation for anxiety online. It’s a hassle-free process you can try without leaving the comfort of your home. By speaking with a medical professional online , you may be eligible for prescription medication that you can have sent straight to your door.

You’ll Need a Consultation

Before you can have any medications prescribed for you, you’ll need to complete an online consultation. This will basically be similar to seeing a doctor in person, but without all the hassle that comes with driving to the office, waiting forever, and then driving back home. Usually, you’ll start by filling out an online health assessment that is then reviewed by a medical provider. 

Nurx offers prescription treatment for anxiety and depression for as little as $0 in copays or $25 per month without insurance.

As part of the assessment, you’ll answer questions about your symptoms including how often they occur and specifically which symptoms you experience. The information you provide will be evaluated by a medical team with specific training in managing mental health disorders.

Of course, you will also provide your medical history, current medication regimen, and any allergies. This helps them see if there could be an underlying medical cause for your anxiety. It also helps them know what medications might be best for your personal needs.

You’ll Have Access to the Top Anxiety Meds, With One Exception

The good news is that once your online medical professional makes a diagnosis, if medically eligible, they will be able to prescribe you commonly used antidepressants/anti-anxiety medications such as Citalopram , Fluoxetine , Escitalopram , or Sertraline . These are all selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) that help your brain to better use serotonin, a neurotransmitter responsible for mood regulation.

There are other types of antidepressants you may be eligible for as well, like Duloxetine (the generic version of Cymbalta) and Amitriptyline , which work slightly differently than SSRIs but produce similar results.

You can also get a prescription for buspirone , which you might also know as BuSpar. This is an anxiety medication that also targets serotonin as well as dopamine in the brain, helping to reduce your anxiety symptoms.

Finally, beta-blockers, like Propranolol (the generic version of Inderal) can help people who have trouble with situational anxiety such as performance anxiety. These work on a temporary basis to treat the physical effects of anxiety, like a rapid heart rate and tense muscles.

There are a few exceptions that an online medical team will not be able to prescribe. These include controlled substances like benzodiazepines and stimulants like Adderall.

Why is this? The FDA classifies benzodiazepines as a controlled substance , meaning that getting a prescription requires an in-person visit. That’s because it’s easy for people to misuse benzos and take more than they need. If this happens, they’ll be at risk for serious side effects. Also, some people can become addicted to benzos, meaning they’re physically dependent on them.

This means you won’t be able to get prescriptions like Ativan, Klonopin, Valium, or Xanax through telehealth . But luckily, SSRIs and other medications are becoming more commonplace for the treatment of anxiety anyway, so you’ll likely have plenty of effective alternatives to try.

You Won’t Need to Visit a Pharmacy

Perhaps the best part about getting anti-anxiety medication online is that you don’t ever need to leave the house, even to pick up your prescription. Once you complete your medical assessment and your provider creates a treatment plan for you, they’ll send your prescription straight to your home.

This makes it super convenient if you live in a rural location without close access to healthcare or a pharmacy. Within a short amount of time, you’ll have access to the medication you need to help you start feeling better.

You Can Reach Out Any Time You Have Questions or Concerns

After you have your initial consultation and receive your prescription in the mail, that’s not the end of it. You’ll still have access to telehealth any time you need to check in with something.

For example, maybe you’re experiencing some side effects from your medication. Or maybe you have questions on how often to take your pills. Text your questions via our messaging platform and a medical professional will go over your concerns with you.

With telehealth, there’s no waiting weeks or months for an opening with your doctor. You can message them same-day so they can answer your questions right away. However, It is important to know that messages are not checked 24/7 and if you ever experience an emergency please dial 911 or go to your nearest emergency department.

Give Online Anti-Anxiety Treatment a Try

As you can see, the whole telehealth process from start to finish is relatively simple and way easier than trying to schedule an appointment with an in-person doctor. If you’d like fast relief from your anxiety symptoms, then online anxiety treatment is worth a try.

This blog pro­vides infor­ma­tion about telemed­i­cine, health and related sub­jects. The blog content and any linked materials herein are not intended to be, and should not be con­strued as a substitute for, med­ical or healthcare advice, diagnosis or treatment. Any reader or per­son with a med­ical con­cern should con­sult with an appropriately-licensed physi­cian or other healthcare provider. This blog is provided purely for informational purposes.

Doctor Visits

Talk with Your Doctor About Anxiety

Take Action

It’s normal to feel worried or afraid sometimes. But if worry or fear is making it hard for you to do your usual activities, talk with your doctor about anxiety.

What is anxiety?

Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, and worry. It can be a normal reaction to a stressful situation, like losing a job or taking care of a family member who’s very sick. But if anxiety doesn’t go away, becomes overwhelming, or interferes with everyday activities, it may be an anxiety disorder .

There are different types of anxiety disorders. For example:

• Generalized anxiety disorder: being very worried about everyday issues and activities 
• Panic disorder: having sudden episodes of intense fear that involve symptoms like a pounding heart and trouble breathing when there’s no danger
• Social anxiety disorder: being very scared that other people are watching or judging you during social situations, like parties, work, or public speaking
• Phobias: being very afraid of a specific thing or situation, like spiders,  flying, or being in a crowd
• Separation anxiety disorder: feeling very scared to be away from loved ones — for example, worrying that something bad will happen to family members when you’re not together

To learn more, check out this information on:

• Anxiety disorders
• Anxiety and women
• Anxiety and Veterans

Signs of Anxiety

What are the signs of anxiety.

Anxiety affects people differently, and every anxiety disorder has its own signs and symptoms. But for most people, anxiety involves:

• Anxious thoughts that are hard to control — like a constant worry that something bad might happen
• Physical symptoms — like a pounding or fast heartbeat, aches and pains with no obvious cause, or trouble sleeping
• Behavior changes — like avoiding everyday activities that you used to do

Having caffeine or taking other substances or certain medicines might make your symptoms worse.

What causes anxiety?

Anyone can have anxiety. But some experiences may make it more likely that someone will develop anxiety. These include:

• Dealing with a stressful life situation, like a serious illness or a death in the family
• Experiencing trauma or abuse
• Having a family history of anxiety

In addition, people who have another mental health condition — like depression — may be more likely to have anxiety. Learn more about depression .

How is anxiety treated?

Anxiety can be treated with talk therapy, medicines, or both:

• Talk therapy involves talking with a mental health professional — like a psychiatrist, psychologist, or counselor. One common type of talk therapy is called cognitive behavioral therapy, or CBT. CBT focuses on changing the way you think or act to help you face your fears and manage anxiety. 
• Medicines can include anti-anxiety medicines or certain antidepressants (medicines that are also used to treat depression).

Your doctor may refer you to a mental health professional. And if you start taking medicine and it’s not working well enough, your doctor may have you try a different type of medicine. 

See a Doctor

Anxiety is more than occasional worry. It’s an illness that can be treated, just like any other illness. If fear or worry won’t go away and is affecting your daily activities — or if you think you might have an anxiety disorder — see your doctor.

Talk to a doctor about how you’re feeling.

Start by getting a medical checkup. Ask to see a doctor or nurse who can screen you for anxiety.

The doctor or nurse may also check to see if you have another health condition (like heart disease or diabetes) that can cause anxiety or make it worse. If you have one of these health conditions, it’s important to get treatment right away.

What about cost?

Depending on your insurance plan, you may be able to get anxiety screening at no cost to you. Check with your insurance company to find out more.

If you don’t have insurance, you may still be able to get free or low-cost anxiety screening. Find a health center near you and ask about screening for anxiety.

To learn more, check out these resources:

• Free preventive care for adults covered by the Affordable Care Act
• How the Affordable Care Act protects you
• Understanding your health insurance and how to use it [PDF - 698 KB] 

Get Treatment

Get treatment for anxiety..

If you have anxiety, getting treatment is the best thing you can do.

Ask your doctor for a referral to a mental health professional, or use this treatment locator to find mental health services near you . Some programs offer free or low-cost treatment even if you don’t have insurance.

Here are some places and professionals you can go to for help with anxiety:

• Doctor’s office or health clinic
• Family service or social service agency
• Psychologist or psychotherapist
• Counselor or social worker

Remember, even if asking for help seems scary, it’s an important step toward feeling better.

Learn more about finding mental health services that work for you .

Get Support for Anxiety

Get support..

If you have anxiety, it can help to reach out to people around you for support. A trusted family member, friend, or faith leader can help support you as you seek medical treatment.

It may also help to find a support group for people who have anxiety. These groups might meet in person or online. While it can be helpful to talk to people who are experiencing the same things as you, keep in mind that support groups are not a replacement for seeing a doctor or mental health professional. 

Get more ideas to build your support system .

Manage stress.

Finding ways to lower your stress can help you feel better. You can try:

• Physical activity: Try to find an activity you enjoy — like walking, dancing, or swimming.
• Meditation and mindfulness: Meditation can help you calm your mind, and mindfulness is a type of meditation that helps you be more aware of your thoughts and feelings in the current moment. 

Read more about:

• Managing stress
• Getting active
• Practicing mindfulness and meditation

If someone you care about has anxiety, get help.

If you think a friend or family member may have anxiety, check out these tips on how to talk to a loved one about anxiety.

And keep in mind that someone who has anxiety might also have depression. Take a look at this guidance on how to talk to a loved one about depression .

Content last updated December 6, 2023

Reviewer Information

This information on anxiety was adapted from materials from the National Institute of Mental Health.

Reviewed by:


Alexander Talkovsky, Ph.D. Program Chief, Anxiety Disorders Research Program Division of Translational Research National Institute of Mental Health

October 2023

You may also be interested in:

Manage Stress

Anxiety: Conversation Starters

The office of disease prevention and health promotion (odphp) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website..

Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by ODPHP or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website.

You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link.

Member Online Portal

Log in, register for an account, pay your bill, print ID cards, and more.

Provider Access Online

Log into your account, view patient information, and more.

Login to your account, make a payment, see benefits and more.

Manage your plan.

• Renew Your Coverage
• Member Resources
• Understand Your Benefits
• Managing Medical Records
• Member Newsletters
• Member Portal

Helpful Tools

• Make A Payment
• COVID-19 FAQs
• Health Resources
• Find a Doctor
• Member Portal Resources
• Get Coverage

Wellcare By Fidelis Care

• Medicare Resources
• Prescription Drug Information
• Fidelis Medicare Joins Wellcare
• Rights, Appeals, and Disputes

Login to your account, download forms, view auth grids and more.

Provider resources.

• COVID-19 Updates
• Authorization Grids
• Provider Bulletins
• Pharmacy Services
• Manuals, Forms and Policies

About Our Plans

• Forms for Members
• Educational Materials
• Join Our Provider Network
• Provider Portal
• Contact Provider Relations
• Provider Access Online Resources
• Electronic Transactions
• Authorization Requests
• MMIS Status Reports

See plan benefits, coverage areas, get a quote and more.

• Medicaid Managed Care
• Essential Plan
• Child Health Plus
• Qualified Health Plans
• HealthierLife (HARP)
• Medicaid Advantage Plus
• Fidelis Care at Home (MLTC)
• Over-the-Counter Benefits
• Mail Order Pharmacy Program
• Medication Therapy Management
• Qualifying Life Events
• Health Insurance Terms Explained
• About Medicare
• Medicare and Dual Advantage
• D-SNP Benefits
• Help Me Find a Plan
• Online Medicare Application

Telemedicine Program

Our telemedicine program through Teladoc Health   provide access to online doctor visits 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to Ambetter from Fidelis Care Qualified Health Plan members and Wellcare By Fidelis Care Medicare and Dual members! Teladoc Health visits are covered at no cost to you! 

With our telemedicine program, you can:

From your smartphone, you can speak with a board-certified doctor for health concerns like sore throats, earaches, the flu, allergies, sinus infections, rashes, and more. Support for anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and family issues is also available.

With your phone or online visit, you can save time and money by avoiding ER visits for non-emergencies. (Remember, in an emergency, always call 911 or go to the nearest ER).

• Talk to a health care provider, anytime
• Receive a prescription if you need one, and pick up your medication from the pharmacy of your choice ( costs for prescription drugs depend on your pharmacy benefit, and are not covered as part of the telemedicine program)   
• Review the health care provider's notes and a summary of your visit

Using telemedicine is easy!

Fidelis Care Qualified Health Plan (QHP) members and Wellcare by Fidelis Care Medicare Advantage and Dual Advantage members   can get started by downloading the Teladoc Health app from the App Store (iPhone) or Play Store (Android), or by going to the Teladoc Health website. QHP members will need to request a registration code from Fidelis Care to register.

For Members In:

• qualified health plans (qhp).

Get Started Today

(By clicking this link, you will leave the Fidelis Care website.)

• Dual Advantage • Medicare Advantage

Teladoc faqs, telemedicine visits with other network providers.

Telemedicine visits with our standard network of providers are also covered by Fidelis Care, if offered by the provider. Care provided to you virtually by a network provider will be billed similarly to an office visit, and regular cost shares may apply.

Your Health Information is Protected

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule provides national standards to protect individuals’ medical records and other personal health information. The Privacy Rule applies to all forms of your protected health information, whether electronic, written, or oral. 

To learn more about HIPAA and your privacy rights, visit the  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services .  By clicking this link, you will leave the Fidelis Care website.

Authorization to Use and Disclose Health Information (PDF)

Revocation of Authorization to Use and/or Disclose Health Information  (PDF)

Join Our Team

Information for..., insurance help.

• Shop for a Plan

Fidelis Care Tools

• Make a Payment
• Transparency in Coverage Machine Readable Files

Fidelis Care Community

• By clicking on these links, you will leave the Fidelis Care website.

Online doctors for Visit For Anxiety. Research, compare and schedule a virtual appointment with an online doctor for Visit For Anxiety on JOY MD. Search trusted online doctors on JOY MD. Cash paying and insurances accepted.

23andMe lets patients discover where in the world their DNA is from across 1500+ regions — in some cases down to the county level. Patients can learn how genetics can influence their chances of developing certain health conditions. Patients can discover what makes them unique. With reports like hair photobleaching and freckles, they learn how their DNA can influence their physical features.

AbleTo provides behavioral health care proven to help people overcome barriers to better health. Patients can feel better by working one-on-one with AbleTo's specially trained professionals from the comfort of their home. AbleTo’s personalized programs are delivered one-on-one, privately and confidentially, with a professional therapist and coach via phone or video chat. AbleTo’s care is proven to help people feel better through positive thinking, behavior change, and mindfulness.

Hello Alpha

Alpha is all about women taking control of their healthcare. Connect to a doctor online for everything from a single visit to long-term health management. Alpha Offers memberships and exclusive healthcare benefits.

Amwell is comprehensive teletherapy for all of your healthcare needs. Their telehealth services include primary care, women and men's health, therapy, pediatrics, cardiology, nutrition, and more. Available 24 hours a day, Amwell is covered by many insurance providers.

Apostrophe brings the dermatologist's office to patients' couch, so patients can get the treatments they need, all shipped to their door. With a few pictures, patients can receive a diagnosis from one of Apostrophe's board-certified dermatologists in just 24 hours. No more scheduling limbo, confusing referrals, and pharmacy runs. Apostrophe has patients covered with science-backed products, giving patients the confidence in knowing what they're putting on their skin works.

Ava is a digital health aid for women’s health including cycle tracking, fertility, and pregnancy. Ava is a sensor bracelet that tracks your vital signs such as skin temperature and pulse to track your health and send real-time data to the platform. Monitor your health and cycle to optimize your health and increase your chances of conception.

Bend specializes in providing the industry’s best health savings accounts for individuals, employers and partners. As HSA experts, Bend is here here to empower them to maximize HSA benefits while eliminating headaches. From Bend's innovative use of AI, to its always-available Bend Advisor, the Bend Difference can help them reach their HSA goals. Online HSA program can be setup in 30 minutes or less.

Better Help

BetterHelp provides patients with the world's largest network of licensed, accredited, and experienced counselors who can help them with a range of issues including depression, anxiety, relationships, trauma, grief, and more. With BetterHelp's counselors, patients get the same professionalism and quality they would expect from an in-office counselor, but with the ability to communicate when and how they want. Patients will get matched to the best counselor for them. Patients will be able to have therapy when they need it.

Blink Health

Blink Health is a digital health provider offering health solutions to patients. Learn more about them and how they can help you here.

Boulder Care

Boulder Care offers long-term support and treatment for opioid addiction. The program is backed by science, driven by data, and provided by caregivers who lead with the heart. Unlike most traditional treatment programs, Boulder’s program is delivered entirely online – with secure video visits and messaging through our smartphone app. The program is designed to fit into a patient's life—no more wait lists, long commutes, or taking time away from work or family to get treatment.

Brain Check

BrainCheck is tailored cognitive care that provides patients and providers with comprehensive brain health data. Track your memory and cognition with BrainCheck to monitor early signs of memory loss. Data from BrainCheck can be shared with your doctor and used to monitor you or your loved one’s cognitive health over time.

Buoy Health

Buoy is an online symptom checker that helps you make decisions about your healthcare. Users chat with Buoy and answer questions about their symptoms to form a treatment plan. Using A.I., Buoy helps you answer your health questions when you need it most.

Calm is the #1 app for sleep, meditation and relaxation, with over 50 million downloads and over 700,000 5-star reviews. The guided meditation app helps to reduce stress and enhance wellbeing. Calm helps users sleep better, learn to meditate, become more mindful, and boost confidence and decrease anxiety. Calm also has a timer and a huge catalog of calming music, sounds, bedtime stories, and ambient noises.

Care Predict

CarePredict @Home notices small changes in seniors that can indicate serious issues, before they happen. CarePredict @Home uses AI to learn and follow daily habits so you can rest assured your loved one is safe, wherever you are and whatever they’re doing. CarePredict @Home watches over the daily patterns and identifies changes that could signal a health concern such as falls, malnutrition, depression, and UTIs – enabling early attention days before something happens. The app delivers a convenient recap of activities and trends, charting them against past days and weeks so you can stay ahead of any changes or declines.

Carrot Fertility

Carrot helps employers give their employees the fertility benefits they want. Fertility benefits are a growing demand among workers and Carrot makes it simple to connect employees with fertility care like egg freezing, IVF, surrogacy, and adoption. The fertility solutions offered by Carrot are fit to your company’s needs.

Get Cerebral

Cerebral offers expert help for a patient's emotional heath. Patients are able to receive help for anxiety and depression. Cerebral offers online provider visits, care management, and prescriptions delivered to a patient's door. Cerebral's providers are licensed prescribers and well-trained to be empathetic and help clients select the best medication for their specific needs.

Connect with a doctor by phone or video to treat common conditions. Whether you need a prescription, lab order, or doctor's note—DrSays can help. Get started with the online clinic in a few minutes.

Cue Health helps you manage problems in the early stages. Starting with influenza, Cue allows for consumers and healthcare providers to screen early through self-tests that deliver results to mobile devices. Great for telemedicine, self health management, and prescription services—Cue gives you your lab data right to your device.

Curology has helped tens of thousands of people clear their skin. From occasional spots to full-on breakouts, Curology's simple once-a-day cream has patients covered. Curology uses patients' photos, patients' history, and patients' goals to pick powerful active ingredients just for them. Curology providers see more acne sufferers every year than any other team in the country. With their combined 107 years of experience, they’re also resources for questions on cleansers, sunscreens, and how dairy affects patients' skin.

Derm Consult

DermConsult is a Digital Dermatology Clinic offering medical dermatologic and skin care services via a HIPAA-secured, telemedicine platform. Patients can call, email, text or send an in-app message to their doctor instantly. DermConsult utilizes the most secure and advanced teledermatology platform to deliver care to their patients. All of DermConsult's dermatologists are currently practicing, board-certified, US-based dermatologists.

Discover the power of telemedicine with Heal. Using the app or your phone, talk with a doctor and get lab orders, prescriptions, referrals, and more from home. Heal offers primary, urgent, pediatric, and preventative care.

Discreet birth control delivered to your door. After completing an online consultation, Pill Club’s medical team will recommend a birth control for you, including oral contraceptives, emergency contraceptives, internal condoms, and vaginal rings. Their birth control deliveries come with surprise goodies like stickers, chocolates, and more.

Dispatch Health

DispatchHealth is healthcare delivered. Users request a visit from the app, online, or by phone, and a medical team is sent to their home to treat them. DispatchHealth treats injuries, illnesses, and common concerns you would go to the urgent care for from the convenience and safety of your home.

Doctor On Demand

Doctor on Demand connects patients with physicians and psychiatrists 24/7. This telemedicine platform is app-based and can help patients treat and manage health concerns from home. Doctor on Demand has been used by over 1 million patients and is supported by many insurance providers.

Dynamic Health

DynamiCare Health is a personalized telehealth recovery program that fits in your pocket. DynamiCare Health's approach of rewarding healthy activities is scientifically proven to increase a patient's chances of recovery. DynamiCare Health’s easy-to-use technology includes random breath and saliva tests submitted through the app, verified treatment attendance check-ins, a supportive Recovery Coach, rewards for healthy progress, and a dashboard for supporters. DynamiCare health makes healthy behavior change convenient through accountability and encouragement.

Direct Derm

For all skin, hair and nail problems, DirectDerm is as close as one's computer or mobile device. All DirectDerm consultants are board-certified dermatologists trained at the top medical institutions in the United States, such as Stanford and Harvard. Many remain involved in research and teaching at these universities. Accessible from anywhere at any time, DirectDerm's dermatologists will provide a full report with diagnosis and treatment plan within 48 hours max- usually within 24.

Free Womens Clinic

Free Women’s Clinic offers resources to those facing an unplanned pregnancy. The clinic provides services such as free ultrasounds and abortion and option consultations and support. All services are completely free and confidential.

Gryt Health

GRYT connects those suffering from cancer with community. The Gryt community is connected through an app and is made up of patients, survivors, providers, and advocates who can provide support. The purpose of GRYT is to empower those with cancer and help them make choices that are right for them.

Gali Health

Gali is a well-informed mobile friend and personal health guide who helps patients learn about, track and proactively manage their Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. Gali is on a mission to make sure nobody ever feels isolated, lost or powerless in the face of existing or potential disease. Advanced AI algorithms allow Gali to create a highly personalized feed of vetted, timely and relevant health-related content. Gali enables a smart disease community by collecting the experiences of medical professionals and IBD patients from around the world.

Galileo Health

Galileo is comprehensive healthcare from the convenience of your phone. With their affordable memberships, you have 24/7 access to healthcare professionals to answer your questions and help manage your health. Galileo is self healthcare that combines expertise, technology, and you.

Genome Medical

Genome Medical delivers genetic expertise to support everyone — from health care providers who need a trusted partner for genomic medicine to individuals interested in exploring their DNA. Genome Medical is the first and only nationwide telegenomics practice serving health systems, providers, employers and individuals. Genome Medical delivers easy and seamless genetic expertise in the following areas of clinical care: Cancer, cardio, proactive, reproductive, pediatric, and pharmacy. Genome Medical's clinical team includes medical geneticists, genetic counselors, primary care doctors, pharmacists and other specialists who can provide medical services in all 50 states.

Get a beautiful smile without the office visits. Byte uses FDA-cleared technology and connects you with board-certified dental professionals to get you a straight smile, fast. Offering two different plans and financing, Byte has an option for everyone looking to improve their teeth.

Get an on-demand medical exam that is backed by data with Tyto. A device is connected to the TytoApp which is used by your doctor to diagnose treat and manage common illnesses.

Get the best prices and find savings on your prescriptions with GoodRx. Did you know that the cost of your prescription can vary between neighboring pharmacies? GoodRx compares prices for you and gives you coupons for your prescriptions. GoodRx is the #1 free medical app for iOS and Android.

Ginger is a telepsychiatry platform that offers an on-demand mental health system through the Ginger app. The platform allows members to conveniently connect with Ginger’s team of behavioral health coaches anywhere and at any time. For those in need of additional support, a therapist or psychiatrist can be added to their care team. Currently, over half a million people are using the digital platform.

Glooko syncs data from patients' diabetes devices and shares it with their care team for confident decisions about the patients' diabetes. Glooko syncs with 95% of all diabetes devices, delivering trusted data, in a simple and usable platform. Glooko is used by health systems around the world to help their patient populations achieve better outcomes. The Glooko Mobile App is free* for all people with diabetes.

Join Groups

Groups offers an opioid addiction treatment that works. Groups' counselors will help patients make a deep personal transformation, and their physicians will help patients safely taper off medication when they feel ready. Patients get the medication they need to stop feeling sick, and a community that fights for them to succeed from the comfort and safety of their home. Members attend weekly group therapy where they find a safe space to be honest with other people going through the same thing.

Happify Health is a digital therapeutics platform that diagnoses mental health conditions and offers support that is grounded in science. Happify Health makes managing mental health and well-being, not just possible, but fun. The platform is based on the sciences of positive psychology, cognitive behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and other proven behavior change disciplines. When new research is acquired it’s then validated through published peer-reviewed research.

Headspace is one's guide to everyday mindfulness in just a few minutes a day. Patients can choose from hundreds of guided meditations on everything from managing stress and anxiety to sleep, productivity, exercise, and physical health — including short SOS meditations for when they're on the go. Patients learn to manage feelings and thoughts with the lifelong skill of everyday mindfulness, any time of the day. Patients can train their body and their mind at the same time with exercises to strengthen their mental and physical well-being.

HealthTap is comprehensive telehealth. Get your questions answered, diagnosed, treatment, and follow-up care from a single app. All of HealthTap's doctors are board-certified and committed to quality care.

Hers personalizes women’s health in a single platform. Simply create a profile and connect with a physician to get tailored recommendations about sexual health, birth control, skin care, supplements, and other women’s health issues. Hers also offers telehealth visits for primary health concerns.

Hims is the ultimate men’s health platform. Take charge of your wellness with customized solutions for erectile dysfunction, hair loss, skin care, and performance anxiety. Hims also offers primary care health services through their telehealth platform.

Hubpsych provides tools & resources for clients searching for effective therapy in the greater Los Angeles area. With Hubpsych's personalized search tool and network of specialized mental health providers, Hubpsych is able to help patients find the mental health care they deserve. Hubpsych’s confidential 10-minute assessment process is designed to better understand a patient's unique mental health needs. Upon completion, Hubpsych’s smart match algorithm will make some therapeutic recommendations and empower a patient to find a therapist best fitting to their personal needs.

Human API is a digital self-health solution that allows you to streamline your health data into a single platform. Users can integrate all of their health accounts, medical records, lab results, prescriptions, and health apps into one place. Data can be shared with other people, providers, or health apps to help individuals monitor and reach their health goals.

If traditional conception isn’t working or isn’t an option in your relationship—try Mosie. Intrauterine Insemination(IUI) can be expensive and time-consuming. Mosie offers an at-home solution you can try first. The Mosie syringe is designed to maximixe your chances of conceiving, while remaining affordable.

Improve every aspect of your relationship with the help of a licensed therapist through Regain. Whether you need relationship support for yourself or both you and your partner, Regain is there to help with online therapy. Restore your relationship, intimacy, and communication.

Kaia Health

Kaia Health gives solutions to providers to help them manage patients with musculoskeletal pain and COPD. Using advanced technology, Kaia Health can make home therapy management possible for those with pain conditions. Physical assessments and training sessions are made possible anywhere with Kaia's mobile system.

Kindbody is a women’s health platform that offers in-person and virtual healthcare for fertility needs, gynecological care, and supportive services. The platform offers modern healthcare driven by data and personalization. Kindbody accepts most major insurance providers.

Kliit is on-demand women’s health. The app connects you in real-time to qualified medical experts to answer reproductive health questions. Chatting on Kliit is safe, convenient, and affordable.

Learn to Live

Learn to Live offers customized online programs based on the proven principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The programs are confidential, accessible anywhere, and based on years of research showing online CBT programs to be as effective as face-to-face therapy. Learn to Live with help patients identify the thoughts and behavior patterns that perpetuate their issues, so they can work through them. Learn to Live can help those with social anxiety, depression, insomnia, substance use, and stress, anxiety, and worry.

Lemonaid Health

Lemonaid offers ongoing personalized help at a fraction of the cost for anxiety and depression treatments. Lemonaid provides the best possible treatment for patients by offering full-cycle care - Lemonaid knows no one wants to take medicine forever, so Lemonaid helps patients work out how long they should continue treatment based on their unique situation. Lemonaid's service allows patients to have as many check-ins as they need, through messaging, or via phone call or video chat, whatever is most convenient for them. Lemonaid Pharmacy will deliver FDA-approved meds directly to a patient's door in only 2-3 business days.

Lensabl lets patients get the lenses they need, in their own frames, without leaving home. Patients can receive quality lenses they need, in the frames they already own, in about 2 weeks. Lensabl offers prescription, blue-light blockers, readers, sunglasses, and more. All of Lensabl's lenses are custom made, tested and fitted by certified opticians with generations of experience.

Life Access

Life Process Program is an online addiction treatment is built on simple human ingredients. Life Process Program's goal is to help patients recover from their addiction and learn to lead a joyful, meaningful life. Developed by Dr. Stanton Peele, the world leading authority on non-12 step addiction recovery, the program is a structured online program with 8 comprehensive modules and over 50 thought-provoking exercises. Life Process Program also provides regular feedback, advice and guidance from a patient's dedicated Life Process Coach throughout the program, private video coaching, and access to peer support.

Lion Rock Recovery

Lionrock is the most private way to get help for substance abuse. Lionrock's programs fit into a patient's way of life, not the other way around. Patients are able to keep their family and work commitments while they get help in Lionrock's online recovery program. In addition to professional treatment, Lionrock offers workshops and support group meetings that are completely free of charge— there’s no cost to participate.

Lively is the modern health saving account. Lively helps people prepare for tomorrow by making smart decisions about finances and healthcare today. Lively HSAs are free for individuals and families, so they never have to worry about hidden costs. Employers can build a better benefits package — without adding admin hours. With Lively, people can build a healthcare safety net and save more for the expected and unexpected.

Luna PBC is a digital health provider offering health solutions to patients. Learn more about them and how they can help you here.

MDLIVE allows you to access a qualified healthcare provider from wherever you are. Connect with a doctor from the app, your phone, or computer. MDLIVE offers primary care, therapy, psychiatry, dermatology, and more via telehealth.

Manage your health and get answers to your health questions and concerns with K. Using AI technology, K checks your symptoms and advises you on possible treatments. Need to chat with a doctor? K can connect you with one for a low cost who can treat you.

Maven Clinic

Maven offers comprehensive women’s health and family care through its telemedicine platform. Offering support for fertility, pregnancy, pediatrics, and more—Maven hosts an abundance of qualified healthcare providers to help you at every stage of your journey. Manage your reproductive health, mental health, nutrition, and more with Maven.

Maximize your chances of conceiving by tracking your ovulation with Proov. Proov is an FDA-approved test to confirm your ovulation with accurate at-home testing that measures PdG. Master your cycle and skip the wondering when it comes to ovulation.

Modern Health

Modern Health is a platform for innovative companies that value the emotional well-being of their workforce. Modern Health is the only comprehensive mental health platform that provides access to a full spectrum of resources, ranging from digital courses and meditations to a network of certified coaches and licensed therapists. Modern Health combines technology and human touch to guide individuals to the right level of care at the right time. Each employee has access to a full spectrum of support in a single platform to meet their unique needs.

Nebula Genomics

Nebula Genomics is the leading privacy-focused personal genomics service. Nebula Genomics' mission is to make direct-to-consumer genetic testing secure. With the Nebula Explore subscription, you can stay up to date with the most cutting-edge genomic research. Nebula Genomics' team curates the latest scientific discoveries to create personalized reports based on your Whole Genome Sequencing results.

Need an urgent care visit but don’t want to wait at the doctor’s office? Simplify the process with Remedy. Available 24 hours a day, Remedy connects you with qualified providers who can diagnose and treat common urgent care conditions such as colds, infections, prescription refills, and more. Get treated via telemedicine or with a house call.

NeuroTrack Technologies

Neurotrack Technologies is a digital platform that uses scientifically-validated cognitive assessments to strengthen and monitor brain health. The platform allows physicians to actively monitor their patients by using The Neurotrack Cognitive Health Program. The groundbreaking eye-tracking technology measures multiple cognitive domains to provide a report that tracks Alzheimer's.

No braces, no orthodontic visits—get straighter teeth at home. Candid offers remote orthodontic care to provide you with top-quality teeth straightening. Simply send Candid photos and impressions of your teeth, get your clear aligners to begin your straightening your teeth, and monitor your progress remotely with one of Candid’s orthodontists

One Medical Group

One Medical offers everything from same-day in-office appointments to telehealth visits with qualified doctors. Their memberships include preventative care, everyday wellness, chronic conditions, pediatric and family medicine, and mental health.

Ophelia offers medication and support for opioid withdrawal. Ophelia brings treatment to the privacy of one's home in their own terms with support from Ophelia for life. Ophelia is based on the gold standard of science, Medication-assisted treatment (MAT), proven to be 6x more effective than most rehabs out there. Patients connect with an Ophelia provider via telemedicine through their phone or computer and manage withdrawal, stop cravings, and prevent relapse with medications like Suboxone and Vivitrol.

Oscar Health

Oscar has been focused on one mission – to be a health insurance company centered around the patient, engaging members and guiding them to the right care. Oscar has the most engaged members in the industry, with the highest mobile engagement of any insurer. With Oscar, patients can get prescriptions refilled right over the phone and sent directly to their pharmacy. Patients will also get their own Concierge team of experts to help them find doctors, answer questions, and more.

Parsley Health

Personalize your wellness with Parsley Health. Offering patients on-demand telemedicine care, Parsley Health pairs you with highly-trained doctors, nurse practitioners, and health coaches. Skip the rushed in-person office visit, and start with a 60+-minute appointment to begin your customized healthcare plan. Memberships include physician visits, biomarker testing, personalized health plans, prescriptions, messaging, and more.

Pivot is transforming how people quit smoking for good with its fresh approach and breakthrough tech. Pivot’s exciting new technologies, human coaching, and behavioral science turn quitting into an opportunity, instead of an obligation. Pivot users don’t have to quit smoking—they get to. Pivot even helps people who say they aren’t ready to quit.

Plushcare can help you manage everything from urgent medical needs to chronic illness online. This telemedicine platform offers direct messaging with qualified physicians so you can have your healthcare questions answered on-demand. Plushcare offers care in all 50 U.S. states and is covered by many major insurance providers.

Quartet Health

Quartet is a healthcare technology and services company with a focus on mental health conditions. The company has teamed up with leading health plans and systems to offer a free, HIPAA-compliant solution. The digital platform connects physicians, mental health providers, and insurance companies within their dashboard. The collaborative technology and range of services effectively improve patients’ health and helps drive down healthcare costs.

Ready to quit smoking for good? Let Zero help. Zero will connect with a doctor to create a customized plan to help you quit smoking. Their plans include cessation medications and replacement therapies through Zero’s telehealth platform.

Recover Together

Recover Together aims at helping the 23 million Americans with an opioid addiction. Recover Together has compiled a short list of virtual resources so people in recovery from addiction have access to critical recovery support groups. Recover Together features other information and resources opioid addicts and their loved ones can use to help in their recovery. The 'Recover Together" micro-site provides Google Maps-based search and in-depth resources for support meetings, pharmacies and more.

Medisafe App

Remembering to take your medications can be difficult, but Medisafe makes medication management easy. Keep track of your prescriptions, set reminders, and connect with providers and family in this easy app. Medisafe takes the stress out of your medications so you can live your life and stay healthy.

Ria Health is an evidence based alcohol treatment. Ria Health helps patients to quickly change their relationship to alcohol with its at-home program. On average, Ria Health members reduce their BAC levels by 75% after 12 months in the program. Ria Health physicians and coaches get patients started, help with every step of the program, and are available for consultation through its mobile app, 24/7.

Roman is comprehensive men’s healthcare made simple. Starting with an online visit, a physician will evaluate your health and prescribe custom solutions for all of your needs including sexual health, hair loss, skin problems, and daily health maintenance.

Rory is a digital health provider offering health solutions to patients. Learn more about them and how they can help you here.

SAMI-Aid offers comprehensive telemedicine solutions for patients. Their services include pediatrics, mental health, dermatology, internal medicine, and primary care. Once you’ve connected with SAMI-Aid, you’ll be put in contact with a doctor in about 15 minutes.

Simple Contacts

Simple Contacts is a digital health provider offering health solutions to patients. Learn more about them and how they can help you here.

Simple Habit

Simple Habit is a meditation platform that was designed by top mediation experts to empower people to live better. The app was rated as the #1 app for your wellness & sleep recommended by top mental health experts. It features more than 2,000 guided meditations for any situation and mood —including before sleep, taking a work break, commuting, and more. Simple Habit completion of mindfulness programs changed grey matter concentration of the brain regions for emotion regulation. 

Conceive Easy

Simplify your fertility journey with ConceiveEasy. This service offers kits designed by doctors for those trying to conceive. The kits include pregnancy tests, ovulation tests, supplements, and customizable options. New customers can try the kit free for 30 days.

Skip the office visit and utilize great virtual care with Teladoc. Simply set up an account and get connected with the medical care you need from your device. Teladoc offers comprehensive telemedicine services in the US and Canada.

SkyMD allows patients to go to an online doctor at their convenience with no doctor's appointment. Patients can consult a dermatologist anytime, anywhere in minutes. SkyMD's board certified dermatologists are treating patients every day across the country, 24 x 7, with many different skin diseases. SkyMD's dermatologists can treat a wide variety of skin, hair and nail conditions.

Smile Direct Club

Smile Direct Club provides clear aligners for up to 60% less than braces. Patients can safely straighten teeth 100% from home in as little as 4-6 months, for as low as $85 per month. Smile Direct Club straightens a patient's teeth gently and gradually with multiple sets of clear, thin, snug-fitting aligners, custom-designed and individually 3D-printed in BPA-free plastic. Smile Direct Club's custom clear aligners are easy to wear, and they straighten patients' teeth much faster than braces.

Smilelove offers affordable and convenient teeth straightening and whitening straight to your home. Straighten your teeth in 6-8 months with Smilelove’s customized kits, backed by orthodontic experts. Smilelove offers video support for customers for every part of their teeth straightening journey to make the process simple.

Sober Grid is a free iOS/Android app that connects patients with other sober people. Patients are instantly connected to a global sober community in their neighborhood and around the globe. Patients can build strong sober support networks and inspire others. Sober Grid now offers affordable 24/7 Certified Peer Coaches to assist individuals in their recovery. Sober Grid's peer coaches are trained and certified to help patients get sober and stay sober.​

Solv Health

Solv helps patients simplify their health insurance. Patients snap a photo of their card and Solv will instantly explain their benefits, track their progress toward their deductible and unlock personalized hidden insurance perks. Patients can say goodbye to confusion and hello to every dollar understood with Solv. Solv has partnered with high-quality providers across the country who share their goal of making access to high-quality convenient care simple, friendly and transparent for patients.

Sondermind helps patients find a licensed therapist who accepts their insurance and is available to see them either in-person or online. Sondermind will match patients with the right licensed therapist for video telehealth or in-person sessions. SonderMind is on a mission to redesign behavioral healthcare to become more accessible, approachable, and utilized. SonderMind is a valued partner with many leading insurance companies.

SteadyMD is about pairing patients with providers that are a fit for them. Get connected with a doctor who can treat you long term and focus on specific medical conditions and lifestyles. SteadyMD is tailored telehealth.

Stop dieting and start living a healthy, fulfilling lifestyle with Noom. Whether you want to get fit or lose weight, Noom uses psychology to help you change your behavior to lead a healthier lifestyle and reach your health goals. Noom makes weight loss easy through mobile-based wellness and one-on-one coaching.

Stride Health

Stride makes it easy to tackle the big, scary things in life like health insurance and taxes. Stride helps patients save time and money so they can get back to working on the stuff that really matters. Stride will find and recommend the perfect plan based on a patient's specific needs, help them get the most out of their health insurance, and help them get their application and payment submitted so they're all ready to go. Stride is available year round and will work directly with a patient's insurance company to resolve any issues, like an unexpected bill or finding an in-network doctor. Stride also sends monthly updates to ensure that everything is in working order.

Take control of your healthcare data with Ciitizen. Ciitizen allows you to compile all of your healthcare documents and data into one platform so you can share them with multiple providers, family members, or for research purposes. What you do with your data is in your control. Ciitizen is currently available to those with a diagnosis or history of breast cancer in the United States.

Talkspace is a digital health provider offering health solutions to patients. Learn more about them and how they can help you here.

Talkspace is a telepsychiatry platform that offers instant, affordable therapy. The platform connects a network of professionally licensed therapists with patients. Patients can have virtual consultations or they opt-in to get long-term treatment. Therapy can be done via your smartphone or the web.

Tempest is a modern, accessible, and empowering path to recovery that’s built around the patient. Through Tempest's online sobriety school and aftercare program, patients will get the education, tools, and community they need to build a life free from alcohol. Tempest makes all of that information easy to digest and gives patients space to see what fits best for them. Tempest offers a membership-based spectrum of care—from community-based learning to intensive, personalized recovery support—so patients can find the solution that works for them.

Tia is a New York-based women’s health clinic that offers video visits, care coordination, mobile health records, prescription management, and same-day appointments. Designed by women for women, Tia is made to cover all of your needs from gynecology to primary care.

Truepill powers telehealth solutions for providers to give patients the best digital experience. Offering platforms, onboarding, pharmacy API, health plans, and more—Truepill is helping to connect providers to their patients through digital healthcare.

USC Med is a telepsychiatry platform that offers an on-demand mental health system. The telemedical approach to mental health makes UCS a leader in mental health. USC Med has prescribing psychiatrists, psychologists, teletherapy, and counsel. The therapy sessions are available online or through the phone.

Uplift helps patients beat depression for good. A study of 80 Uplift users showed that Uplift can cut depression scores in half and keep them there. Patients answer questions, practice mental exercises, and receive feedback and guidance from the program. Patients are able to do sessions on their phone, whenever, wherever, however is best for them.

• Alzheimer's disease & dementia
• Arthritis & Rheumatism
• Attention deficit disorders
• Autism spectrum disorders
• Biomedical technology
• Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
• Endocrinology & Metabolism
• Gastroenterology
• Gerontology & Geriatrics
• Health informatics
• Inflammatory disorders
• Medical economics
• Medical research
• Medications
• Neuroscience
• Obstetrics & gynaecology
• Oncology & Cancer
• Ophthalmology
• Overweight & Obesity
• Parkinson's & Movement disorders
• Psychology & Psychiatry
• Radiology & Imaging
• Sleep disorders
• Sports medicine & Kinesiology
• Vaccination
• Breast cancer
• Cardiovascular disease
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
• Colon cancer
• Coronary artery disease
• Heart attack
• Heart disease
• High blood pressure
• Kidney disease
• Lung cancer
• Multiple sclerosis
• Myocardial infarction
• Ovarian cancer
• Post traumatic stress disorder
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Schizophrenia
• Skin cancer
• Type 2 diabetes
• Full List »

share this!

April 29, 2024

This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility:

fact-checked

trusted source

Online treatment as effective as face-to-face for kids with anxiety, study finds

by Georgia Gowing, Macquarie University

An online program to help children and teenagers beat anxiety has been shown to be as effective in the long term as treatment with a therapist, potentially improving access to care while saving families money.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorders in children worldwide, even affecting preschoolers as young as three.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is the gold-standard treatment for anxiety for all ages, with more than 50% of children treated in this way seeing significant improvement after 10 to 16 sessions.

But with a cost-of-living crisis, a shortage of therapists and ongoing stigma associated with mental health disorders, between 25 and 50 percent of children with anxiety never receive help.

Other families do reach therapy, only to discover that the treatment is either not evidence-based or does not include enough sessions to be of use.

Clinical psychologists at Macquarie University developed the Cool Kids Anxiety Program in 1993 to provide an effective, evidence-based treatment option for families.

Through Cool Kids, the clinic works directly with Australian children and their families, but it also trains and accredits mental health practitioners around the world to deliver the treatment in their own communities.

Originally designed as 10 weeks of face-to-face sessions, Cool Kids has been shown to be highly effective through rigorous scientific evaluation, and it has been updated regularly to incorporate the most up-to-date understanding of anxiety and its treatment.

Key features include exposure therapy, where the child learns to fight their fears by facing them; "detective thinking," where they learn to think differently about fear-inducing situations and see them in a more realistic light; and learning to develop and use coping strategies.

Cool Kids has now been adapted into an internet-delivered CBT (iCBT) program, with the child and their caregiver working together to complete eight lessons over 10 weeks. The caregiver receives up to 10 brief telephone calls from a therapist to support them working with their child.

To test the effectiveness of Cool Kids Online, 95 children aged between seven and 12 who had anxiety took part in a clinical trial. The results were published in the Journal of Anxiety Disorders .

The findings

Macquarie University clinical psychologist and trial leader, Dr. Lauren McLellan, says a first-stage clinical trial must show that the treatment being tested is better than doing nothing.

To test this, the children were randomly divided into a treatment group and a control group. The treatment group began the program immediately, while the control group joined a waiting list and began the program at the 11-week mark.

Both groups were assessed on joining the program, immediately after completing it and six months after completion. The control group was also assessed after the waiting period to see whether they had improved without intervention.

Dr. McLellan says the results showed Cool Kids Online was effective, with results similar to the program's face-to-face version.

"After treatment, 64% of children were free of their primary diagnosis of anxiety, compared to 28% of the children on the wait list, and this figure had improved to 75% at the six-month mark," she says.

"This is impressive, as it's not only comparable to the success rate of face-to-face anxiety treatment programs, it's also one of the first times an iCBT anxiety program for primary school-aged children has found diagnostic change compared to waitlist."

Remission does not mean that the child never feels anxious again, but that anxiety is no longer impacting significantly on their life or causing them significant distress. In everyday life, that translates to the ability to cope with their fears, resulting in improvement academically and socially, in family life and extracurricular activities.

Dr. McLellan says the inclusion of exposure therapy is a key part of both versions of Cool Kids, as this isn't always offered to children.

"The caregiver's involvement is also extremely important," she says. "They are learning the skills alongside the child and coaching them as they complete the weekly lessons and activities.

"We know that when children are working with a parent or trusted caregiver, it's a very effective way for them to learn.

"The online option can also be less disruptive for families as they can complete the lessons at times that suit them instead of having to attend appointments."

A more cost-effective option

Studies have shown that CBT usually requires an average of 11 sessions to be effective, but at up to $250 an hour for face-to-face treatment, this is an option that is out of reach for many families.

Dr. McLellan says Cool Kids Online can currently be delivered for $750—less than a third of the cost of face-to-face therapy—including the initial assessment.

"Caregivers had 10 15-minute therapist support calls available to them as part of the program, but on average they only used eight of those, so we will now look at whether we can reduce that telephone support, with a view to further reducing costs to families," she says.

"Australia has an ongoing shortage of therapists, but this program has the potential to stretch those scarce resources further and reduce waiting lists while still providing children and families with treatment that works.

"We want to ensure that every child in Australia who needs help for anxiety can receive treatment ."

Cool Kids Online is now conducting a larger-scale clinical trial to test different therapist support options. Results will be available soon.

In the meantime, it is available in both online and face-to-face formats at the Macquarie University Emotional Health Clinic (EHC) for three age groups: Cool Little Kids for children aged three to six, Cool Kids for those aged seven to 12 and Chilled Out for teens.

This content was originally published on The Macquarie University Lighthouse .

Explore further

Feedback to editors

New study reveals how teens thrive online: Factors that shape digital success revealed

3 hours ago

New approach for developing cancer vaccines could make immunotherapies more effective in acute myeloid leukemia

17 hours ago

Drug targeting RNA modifications shows promise for treating neuroblastoma

Researchers discover compounds produced by gut bacteria that can treat inflammation

A common type of fiber may trigger bowel inflammation

18 hours ago

People with gas and propane stoves breathe more unhealthy nitrogen dioxide, study finds

Newly discovered mechanism of T-cell control can interfere with cancer immunotherapies

Scientists discover new immunosuppressive mechanism in brain cancer

Birdwatching can help students improve mental health, reduce distress

19 hours ago

Doctors describe Texas dairy farm worker's case of bird flu

Related stories.

Online tool that empowers parents to treat child anxiety could expand access to child mental health services

Feb 8, 2024

I think my child has anxiety. What are the treatment options?

Jul 24, 2023

Clinical trial finds significant improvements from new two-hour depression and anxiety treatment

Sep 21, 2023

New treatment could transform the mental health of children with epilepsy

Mar 7, 2024

Online CBT effective for social anxiety disorder in young people

May 12, 2021

Study shows cognitive behavioural therapy can improve emotion regulation in children with autism

Apr 24, 2018

Recommended for you

Largest quantitative synthesis to date reveals what predicts human behavior and how to change it

AI can tell if a patient battling cancer needs mental health support

May 2, 2024

Study finds young adults reduced drinking during and after pandemic

Children and adolescents enjoy learning new words, study finds

Let us know if there is a problem with our content.

Use this form if you have come across a typo, inaccuracy or would like to send an edit request for the content on this page. For general inquiries, please use our contact form . For general feedback, use the public comments section below (please adhere to guidelines ).

Please select the most appropriate category to facilitate processing of your request

Thank you for taking time to provide your feedback to the editors.

Your feedback is important to us. However, we do not guarantee individual replies due to the high volume of messages.

E-mail the story

Your email address is used only to let the recipient know who sent the email. Neither your address nor the recipient's address will be used for any other purpose. The information you enter will appear in your e-mail message and is not retained by Medical Xpress in any form.

Newsletter sign up

Get weekly and/or daily updates delivered to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time and we'll never share your details to third parties.

More information Privacy policy

Donate and enjoy an ad-free experience

We keep our content available to everyone. Consider supporting Science X's mission by getting a premium account.

E-mail newsletter

• Cast & crew

Inside Out 2

Follow Riley, in her teenage years, encountering new emotions. Follow Riley, in her teenage years, encountering new emotions. Follow Riley, in her teenage years, encountering new emotions.

• Kelsey Mann
• Dave Holstein
• Meg LeFauve
• Amy Poehler
• Phyllis Smith
• Lewis Black

• Embarrassment

• Riley Andersen

• Mrs. Andersen

• Mr. Andersen

• Valentina 'Val' Ortiz

• Coach Roberts

• Subconscious Guard Frank

• Subconscious Guard Dave

• Forgetter Bobby

• Forgetter Paula
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

The Big List of Summer Movies

More like this

Did you know

• Trivia The first trailer received 157 million online views within the first 24 hours, more than any other Disney animated film, surpassing Frozen II (2019) , with 116 million views.

Riley Anderson : [from the trailer] I'M THE WORST!

Mom's Anger : Welp, there's a preview of the next ten years.

• Connections Featured in AniMat's Crazy Cartoon Cast: The D23 Expo 2022 Special (2022)
• When will Inside Out 2 be released? Powered by Alexa
• June 14, 2024 (United States)
• United States
• Instagram - Disney's Announcement
• Instagram - Pixar's Announcement
• Những Mảnh Ghép Cảm Xúc 2
• Walt Disney Feature Animation - 500 S. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USA (Studio)
• Pixar Animation Studios
• Walt Disney Pictures
• See more company credits at IMDbPro

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 40 minutes
• Dolby Digital
• Dolby Atmos
• 12-Track Digital Sound
• D-Cinema 96kHz Dolby Surround 7.1
• D-Cinema 96kHz 7.1

Related news

Contribute to this page.

• See more gaps
• Learn more about contributing

More to explore

Recently viewed

Dairy worker with bird flu developed pinkeye but no respiratory symptoms

Bipartisan bill on online child abuse awaits Biden's signature

Silicon Valley investors push ahead with plan to build new city in California

Police youth program faces nearly 200 allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct

Fiery crash shuts down part of major East Coast highway for extended period

Protests breaking out on campuses echo historic unrest and division

Britney Spears sparks mental health concerns after ambulance responds to L.A. hotel

Doctors warn against viral tanning trends like pills and nasal sprays

Arizona Senate passes repeal of Civil War-era abortion ban

Israel rejects idea of Palestinian sovereignty as world leaders push two-state solution

How scientists are trying to save world’s last northern White Rhinos from extinction through IVF

3 officers killed while serving warrant in North Carolina

CDC: Three women likely infected with HIV while getting 'vampire facial' at unlicensed spa

Police arrest owner of warehouse that exploded at airport with one-way ticket

Increased threat of Colorado wildfires sparks demand for new tech solutions

New exhibit in New York re-creates Israeli music festival attacked on October 7

Ohio police release video of suspect saying 'I can't breathe' before dying

FDA testing dairy cows for bird flu after fragments found in pasteurized milk

Flint, Michigan residents still fighting for safe water 10 years after crisis

Arizona state House votes to repeal Civil War-era abortion ban

Nbc news now.

The risks of staying out in the sun or under UV lights of a tanning bed are known to cause skin cancer and faster aging. But now, doctors are saying some of the tanning trends going viral online could be terrible for your health. May 1, 2024

Best of NBC News

NBC News Channel

Florida teens seen dumping trash into ocean turn themselves in.

The legacy of Kent State 54 years later

Backlash against Kristi Noem continues over memoir

Nightly News Netcast

Nightly news full broadcast (may 3rd).

Orangutan believed to be first animal seen using medicinal plant as treatment

Nestle accused of adding sugar to baby food sold in lower income countries

Follow The Good Doctor: