The answer is yes.

Depression is diagnosed by comparing the symptoms that someone is experiencing to known attributes of depression, using criteria established by the American Psychiatric Association. There are no physical symptoms or blood tests that need to be checked that indicate the presence of depression - instead, diagnosis and treatment relies on a doctor’s judgment.

Because of this, you don’t necessarily need to be together in person with a doctor to effectively diagnose and treat routine depression. Doctors can review your symptoms, health history, and other considerations remotely, then verify their diagnosis and discuss treatment options with you. In many cases, this allows them to be more specialized and thorough than traditional encounters.

Many people find that online care offers a more private, convenient, and affordable alternative than traditional doctor visits. Delivering care online also offers the opportunity for closer monitoring and communication of treatment and progress over time. This is particularly relevant for antidepressant medication, as it’s common for your doctor to need to refine your dose and medication based on your individual response.

Remote care isn’t a good fit for everyone. If you’re more comfortable seeing a doctor face to face, you should follow that path. People with certain conditions are not a good fit for remote care for depression: If you’re pregnant or breastfeeding; if you have bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or borderline personality disorder; if you’ve previously attempted suicide or are actively contemplating suicide; or if you have liver disease, kidney disease, seizures, or long QT syndrome, it’s better for you to see a doctor in person to manage your care.

Brightside’s doctor network only includes doctors who are graduates of prominent US medical schools, have several years of experience, are board certified, and have current licenses to practice in your state.

For example, Dr. David Kagan is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, received his MD from Rush University and his MPH from UC Berkeley. He is board certified in internal medicine, licensed to practice in several US states, and has been practicing medicine for over 10 years.

Brightside’s clinical advisory board oversees our policies and operations and consists of industry experts from top institutions:

Mari Kurahashi, MD MPH completed her medical training at NYU, her psychiatry residency at Yale, and is now on the faculty of the Stanford School of Medicine.

Jessica Ross, MD PhD completed her MD at Stanford and her psychiatry training and PhD at UCSF, where she is now on the faculty.

Brightside is Legitscript certified, HIPAA compliant, and uses 256 bit SSL to encrypt and secure all data. We’re committed to delivering depression care to the highest clinical standards.