Telepsychiatry during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Opportunities

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was first reported in Wuhan, China, on December 17, 2019, and from March 23, 2020, the deadly virus spread around the world in the shortest possible time. The World Health Organization declared the COVID-19 a worldwide pandemic on March 11, 2020 [1]. The COVID-19 has a wide variety of symptoms, such as fever, dry cough, body aches, and shortness of breath. A wide range of epidemiology, rumors and misinformation about the origin of the disease, failure of various therapies, and high transmissibility of this virus have instilled considerable anxiety and stress in people across the globe [2]. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused widespread psychological disorders, including anxiety, depression, stress, fear, and sadness around the world. Moreover, people who are in vulnerable groups and are more prone to COVID-19 (such as the elderly and people with certain diseases) experience more psychological problems [3].