Telemental Health in India

India, with its large rural population and limited mental health resources, must identify alternative strategies to deliver services. Telepsychiatry offers a pragmatic solution to redistribute sparse resources concentrated in urban pockets. Information available about telepsychiatry practice in India is largely anecdotal with limited literature available in the public domain with regard to technology used, processes undertaken, utilization patterns, or outcomes. The experience of the Schizophrenia Research Foundation (SCARF) in running a telepsychiatry network under its SCARF Telepsychiatry in Pudukottai (STEP) program is described in this chapter. This includes an account of the background to this initiative, description of the program methodology, the technology used, and the required infrastructure to establish mobile telepsychiatry clinics and fixed-line clinics in rural communities. The reach of the program, its coverage, major achievements, and challenges faced are described in detail.