UNLABELLED: Telepsychiatry is a medical service with a use of contemporary communication technologies. Internet and electronic mail are included. AIM: The aim of the study was to examine the use of electronic mail in psychiatric advices. METHOD: Anonymous electronic mail (327) sent to the author from June 2001 to May 2002 were selected. They were then processed according to the following criteria: patient age and gender, person who was a subject of consultation, reason and subject of a consultation and prevailing symptoms of a disease. Data frequencies were obtained. RESULTS: 75% of patients referred their own psychiatric problem. The most frequent reasons of consultation were: a cry for help (44%), question about a disease (27%), consultation of a diagnosis (16%) or a therapy (13%). The biggest groups of symptoms related to fear (38%), disturbances of mood (18%), schizophrenic symptoms (13.5%) and sexual dysfunctions (10.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Psychiatrists on the Internet may expect an increase of electronic mail applicability in psychiatric advising. There is a need of medical, legal and ethical regulations of by-Internet doctor-patient relationship. Electronic mail may be treated as a source of knowledge on psychopathological symptoms and epidemiology of mental disturbances amongst the internet users.
UNLABELLED: Telepsychiatry is a medical service with a use of contemporary communication technologies. Internet and electronic mail are included. AIM: The aim of the study was to examine the use of electronic mail in psychiatric advices. METHOD: Anonymous electronic mail (327) sent to the author from June 2001 to May 2002 were selected. They were then processed according to the following criteria: patient age and gender, person who was a subject of consultation, reason and subject of a consultation and prevailing symptoms of a disease. Data frequencies were obtained. RESULTS: 75% of patients referred their own psychiatric problem. The most frequent reasons of consultation were: a cry for help (44%), question about a disease (27%), consultation of a diagnosis (16%) or a therapy (13%). The biggest groups of symptoms related to fear (38%), disturbances of mood (18%), schizophrenic symptoms (13.5%) and sexual dysfunctions (10.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Psychiatrists on the Internet may expect an increase of electronic mail applicability in psychiatric advising. There is a need of medical, legal and ethical regulations of by-Internet doctor-patient relationship. Electronic mail may be treated as a source of knowledge on psychopathological symptoms and epidemiology of mental disturbances amongst the internet users.