Improving your child’s mental health through telemedicine

Article provide by Francis Dunn, Miami, FL

The pandemic has brought on numerous challenges from increased levels of stress, isolation, strained finances, and lifestyle changes. These conditions can affect children in many ways especially those who have been receiving mental care.

Most parents are hesitant to schedule in-person appointments as the risk of catching the Covid-19 virus is high. But missing your child’s appointments will not benefit your child and can cause further mental harm and decline.

To ensure current and future patients have access to reliable mental health care, many health care providers are offering virtual appointments. Virtual consultations offer valuable body language cues that are essential to assess the mental state of a patient. However, appointments that require testing or hands-on therapy, cannot be done online and will require in-person appointments.

Fostering an environment that helps your child to make the most of their virtual appointments is key to your child’s mental health and development. It is best to arrange a quiet space for your child to do their consultation with a parent present at home if they have technical issues. For older children, headphones can be useful as they can help concentration and create privacy. Headphones are also ideal for parents to speak to the doctor before or after sessions, to understand their child’s progress and areas of concern.

Following your child’s routine mental health care appointments is necessary especially during the current pandemic, where stress and anxiety levels are high. Not only will your child be able to develop during this challenging period, but they will learn to manage their emotions in a time where disruptions are the norm.

Francis Dunn is from Miami Florida. Francis William Dunn has spent the last twenty-five years working within the healthcare industry to improve corporate strategy and product development. He is the VP and co-founder of Medsite, Inc., a successful company that was later sold to WebMD. Francis Dunn understands how to be a successful leader and is often called upon for speaking engagements. His expertise in managing enterprise accounts continues to drive overall revenue for past employers.