Staying Relevant in the Digital Age: Exploring the Evolving Frontier of Telehealth for Mental Health in the Military Health System and Veterans Health Administration

Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2025 Dec 29;28(1):8. doi: 10.1007/s11920-025-01651-3.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review examines recent evidence for the effectiveness of telehealth in treating Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), alcohol use disorder, and insomnia in military veterans and active-duty service members (ADSMs).

RECENT FINDINGS: Recent randomized controlled trials and prospective cohort studies provide strong evidence that synchronous video-teleconference based therapy is effective for PTSD, MDD, and insomnia in this population. There is growing evidence for the effectiveness of internet-based self-guided therapy, particularly when combined with coaching support provided by telemedicine, for symptoms of PTSD, MDD, and insomnia. The effectiveness of telehealth in the treatment of alcohol use disorders is less well-supported, as is the effectiveness of mobile applications. These findings are supported by the team’s analysis of the literature as well as an analysis provided by an Artificial Intelligence (AI) platform. The current evidence supports the use of synchronous video-teleconference and internet-based self-guided therapy with coaching support in the treatment of several common diagnoses in the military veteran and ADSM populations. Other modalities of telehealth require further research.

HUMAN AND ANIMAL RIGHTS: This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

PMID:41460423 | DOI:10.1007/s11920-025-01651-3