Written by Klarity Editorial Team
Published: Jun 1, 2026

The landscape of online mental healthcare has changed dramatically over the past few years. If you’re exploring telehealth options for conditions like ADHD, anxiety, depression, or insomnia, you’ve likely noticed that some providers have disappeared while others have tightened their services considerably. Understanding which platforms remain trustworthy—and what they actually offer—is more important than ever.
This comprehensive guide breaks down the current state of mental health telehealth, comparing major providers across availability, prescribing policies, pricing, and quality of care. Whether you’re seeking treatment for the first time or looking for a better alternative to your current provider, this information will help you make an informed decision about your mental healthcare.
The mental health telehealth industry has undergone significant transformation since the COVID-19 pandemic sparked explosive growth in 2020-2021. What began as an expansion of access has become a story of regulatory scrutiny, market corrections, and a return to fundamentals.
Two prominent ADHD-focused telehealth startups—Done and Ahead—are no longer operating. Ahead shut down in 2022 due to financial and operational challenges, while Done faced even more serious consequences. In June 2024, federal prosecutors indicted Done’s top executives for allegedly prescribing ADHD medications inappropriately, marking the first criminal case of its kind against a telehealth company’s leadership.
Meanwhile, Cerebral—once a telehealth darling with aggressive marketing—paid $3.6 million in fines in late 2024 and agreed to ongoing compliance monitoring. The company stopped accepting new patients for stimulant ADHD medications back in May 2022, though it continues to operate with a much more conservative approach to prescribing.
The regulatory environment has pushed most general telehealth providers to severely restrict or completely eliminate prescriptions for controlled substances. This includes:
Platforms like Teladoc, MDLive, Amwell, and PlushCare now explicitly state they will not prescribe these medications through telehealth visits, even for existing patients. Brightside, which focuses on depression and anxiety, has always avoided controlled substances entirely.
The Ryan Haight Act waiver—which allowed healthcare providers to prescribe controlled substances via telehealth without an in-person examination—has been extended through December 2025. However, its future beyond that date remains uncertain, creating anxiety for both providers and patients who have come to rely on remote access to necessary medications.
To help you navigate your options, we’ve compiled detailed information on the leading telehealth platforms for mental health in 2025. Here’s what each provider offers, what they restrict, and who they serve best.
Talkiatry stands out as one of the few telehealth providers that functions like traditional psychiatry practice—because it essentially is one, just delivered virtually. Talkiatry employs board-certified psychiatrists who can diagnose and treat the full spectrum of mental health conditions, including prescribing controlled substances when clinically appropriate.
With availability in 43 states, Talkiatry accepts most major insurance plans, making it an affordable option if you have coverage. Patients typically pay a copay of $25-$40 per visit, though the uninsured pay $250-$300 for initial evaluations and around $150 for follow-ups. The trade-off for insurance acceptance is often longer wait times—sometimes 1-3 weeks for a first appointment—and less flexibility in scheduling.
Talkiatry has also expanded into adolescent psychiatry in 31 states, addressing the critical shortage of child and teen mental health providers.
Cerebral continues to operate but has fundamentally changed its model. After suspending new stimulant prescriptions in 2022, the platform now focuses on treating depression, anxiety, insomnia, bipolar disorder, and PTSD with non-controlled medications. For patients already established on ADHD medications before May 2022, Cerebral grandfathered them through 2023, but the company no longer fills that role.
Available nationwide across all 50 states, Cerebral charges $99 monthly for medication management alone or $365 monthly for combined therapy and medication management. While some insurance plans are accepted, most patients pay out-of-pocket. Reviews are mixed, with frequent complaints about provider turnover and difficulty reaching customer support.
Teladoc, MDLive, and Amwell represent the established healthcare giants that have added mental health services to their broader urgent care and primary care offerings. All three are available nationwide and widely accepted by insurance plans, often at little or no cost to members whose employers or health plans include these benefits.
However, their mental health capabilities are deliberately limited. None will prescribe ADHD stimulants, benzodiazepines, or controlled sleep medications. They can treat straightforward cases of mild-to-moderate depression and anxiety with SSRIs or SNRIs, but patients with more complex needs—ADHD, treatment-resistant conditions, or those requiring controlled substances—should look elsewhere.
Pricing without insurance typically runs $75-$95 for a general medical visit and $150-$200+ for psychiatric consultations, though rates vary by service type and provider qualifications.
PlushCare occupies a middle ground as a primary care platform that also offers mental health services. Available in all 50 states and accepting most insurance plans, PlushCare charges a $19.99 monthly membership plus $129 per visit without insurance. The platform’s controlled substance policy is strict: no stimulants, no benzodiazepines, no Ambien or similar sleep aids. However, PlushCare can prescribe non-controlled weight loss medications including GLP-1 drugs like Wegovy for patients with obesity or related health conditions.
Brightside specifically targets depression and anxiety, operating nationwide with growing insurance acceptance. Monthly costs are $95 for medication management or $349 for combined therapy and medication management.
Brightside’s medication philosophy is explicitly conservative: the platform will not prescribe any controlled substances, including those for ADHD, anxiety (benzodiazepines), or sleep. The company states clearly on its website that it does not diagnose or treat ADHD. This approach appeals to patients who prefer avoiding potentially habit-forming medications, but it creates significant limitations for those whose conditions might benefit from or require controlled medications.
For depression and generalized anxiety, Brightside focuses on SSRIs, SNRIs, and therapy-based interventions. Patient reviews generally rate the service positively for what it does offer, though many express frustration upon discovering the ADHD exclusion after signing up.
Hims & Hers has carved out a unique niche by combining mental health services with broader wellness offerings including hair loss treatment, sexual health, skin care, and weight management. Available in all 50 states (plus limited international availability), Hims & Hers operates on a cash-pay model at $85 monthly for mental health medication plans, plus $99 per counseling session.
The platform does not prescribe controlled substances for mental health, focusing instead on SSRIs and non-controlled anxiolytics. However, Hims & Hers has aggressively moved into the weight loss market, offering GLP-1 medications (Wegovy, Ozempic, and compounded alternatives) through telehealth consultations. This expansion attracted FDA scrutiny in 2025, with warning letters issued regarding marketing claims for compounded semaglutide.
For patients seeking a one-stop shop for multiple wellness concerns—perhaps treating anxiety while also addressing hair loss or weight management—Hims & Hers provides convenience, though at the cost of lacking traditional insurance coverage.
The most dramatic changes in telehealth have centered on what medications providers will and won’t prescribe. Here’s what you need to know about the current environment.
The prescription of Adderall, Ritalin, Vyvanse, and similar stimulants has become the flashpoint of telehealth regulation. Following the Done and Cerebral controversies, most direct-to-consumer telehealth platforms have completely stopped prescribing these medications.
Currently, only full-service psychiatric practices like Talkiatry continue to prescribe ADHD stimulants when medically appropriate. This requires comprehensive evaluations, often including review of previous diagnoses, school or work performance records, and sometimes psychological testing results.
Patients seeking ADHD medication through telehealth should expect:
The days of 15-minute video chats resulting in Adderall prescriptions are over—and that’s likely for the better, even if it means less convenience for patients with legitimate ADHD.
Xanax, Ativan, Klonopin, and other benzodiazepines have become similarly restricted. Nearly every platform examined explicitly prohibits prescribing these medications via telehealth, citing concerns about dependency, abuse potential, and the need for in-person monitoring.
Even Cerebral and Brightside—platforms specifically focused on mental health—will not prescribe benzodiazepines. Patients with anxiety disorders are instead offered SSRIs, SNRIs, buspirone, or hydroxyzine as alternatives. While these medications can be effective for many people, they work differently than benzodiazepines and may require several weeks to show benefits.
Only psychiatric specialists working through insurance-based platforms like Talkiatry maintain the ability to prescribe benzodiazepines when clinically warranted, and even then, providers exercise significant caution given current guidelines emphasizing their risks.
‘Z-drugs’ like Ambien (zolpidem) and Lunesta (eszopiclone) face similar restrictions as benzodiazepines across telehealth platforms. Brightside, PlushCare, Teladoc, and Amwell all explicitly prohibit these prescriptions.
Patients seeking help with insomnia through telehealth typically receive:
While these alternatives lack the immediate sleep-inducing effect of Ambien, they also carry fewer risks of dependency and next-day impairment.
While mental health telehealth has contracted around controlled substances, an entirely new category has emerged: GLP-1 medications for weight loss. Drugs like Wegovy, Ozempic, Mounjaro, and Zepbound are not DEA-controlled substances, allowing platforms to prescribe them more freely.
Hims & Hers has built a substantial business around telehealth weight loss services using these medications. PlushCare will also prescribe them for appropriate patients with obesity or related health conditions. The FDA has pushed back against some marketing practices—particularly for compounded versions of these drugs—but the category represents a major growth area for telehealth.
This matters for mental health patients because conditions like binge eating disorder, depression-related weight gain, and medication side effects often create overlapping physical and mental health needs. Some platforms are beginning to recognize these connections, though most still operate in silos.
The current prescribing landscape exists within an uncertain regulatory framework. The COVID-19 public health emergency allowed temporary relaxation of the Ryan Haight Act, which previously required an in-person examination before prescribing controlled substances. This waiver has been extended multiple times and currently runs through December 2025.
What happens after that remains unclear. Congressional proposals to permanently allow controlled substance prescribing via telehealth have stalled, while the DEA has signaled interest in returning to pre-pandemic requirements. Some industry observers predict a middle ground: perhaps allowing continued telehealth prescribing for existing patients while requiring an initial in-person visit for new controlled substance prescriptions.
This uncertainty explains why many providers have proactively tightened their policies—they’re preparing for a potentially more restrictive future.
Most leading telehealth platforms now operate nationwide, but important variations exist. Here’s what to know about availability in the six most populous states:
All currently operating platforms except Done (effectively defunct) serve these states. This includes Cerebral, Brightside, Talkiatry, PlushCare, MDLive, Teladoc, Amwell, and Hims & Hers.
However, ‘available in your state’ doesn’t necessarily mean the same level of service everywhere. Key considerations include:
Provider availability: Talkiatry operates in 43 states but may have longer wait times in some markets due to provider-to-patient ratios. Similarly, insurance-based platforms may have more limited provider networks in certain regions.
State-specific prescribing rules: Some states impose additional restrictions beyond federal requirements. For example, certain states require initial in-person visits for controlled substances even when federal rules might allow telehealth, or mandate more frequent follow-ups. These variations typically operate behind the scenes—providers simply won’t offer services they can’t legally provide in your state.
Insurance network participation: A platform may operate in your state but not contract with your specific insurance plan. Always verify both state availability and insurance acceptance.
Healthcare providers must be licensed in the state where the patient is physically located during the telehealth visit. This requirement occasionally creates complications:
Klarity Health addresses this by ensuring provider availability across all major states and transparently communicating any geographic limitations upfront. If you’re located in California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, or Illinois, you can access Klarity’s full range of services without concern.
Cost remains one of the most confusing aspects of telehealth mental health services. Let’s break down the real numbers.
Subscription platforms like Cerebral and Brightside charge monthly fees ranging from $95 to $365, depending on whether you include therapy sessions. These models offer simplicity but create several problems:
For someone requiring weekly therapy plus monthly medication management, a subscription might make sense. But for stable patients needing only quarterly check-ins, paying $95-$365 every month for minimal service becomes expensive quickly.
Pay-per-visit platforms like Talkiatry, MDLive, and Teladoc charge for each interaction. This typically means:
This model offers flexibility—you pay only when you actually receive care—but requires more active management and can be less predictable for budgeting.
Insurance acceptance dramatically affects out-of-pocket costs but introduces trade-offs:
Advantages of using insurance:
Disadvantages of insurance-based care:
Beyond the advertised appointment fees, consider:
Medication costs: While platforms may charge reasonably for visits, prescription drugs can be expensive. A month’s supply of branded ADHD medication might cost $300+ without insurance, compared to $10-$50 for generic SSRIs. GLP-1 weight loss drugs can exceed $1,000 monthly at retail prices.
Therapy add-ons: Many medication-focused platforms charge extra for therapy. Cerebral’s therapy + medication plan costs nearly four times its medication-only plan ($365 vs. $99 monthly).
Membership fees: PlushCare charges $19.99 monthly membership in addition to visit fees.
Cancellation fees: Some platforms charge fees if you cancel appointments with insufficient notice.
Klarity Health offers transparent, straightforward pricing without subscription lock-in. With initial evaluations at competitive rates and affordable follow-up visits, patients pay only for the care they receive. The platform accepts both insurance and cash payment, giving patients flexibility to choose the most economical option for their situation.
For self-pay patients, Klarity’s per-visit costs often total less than a month of subscription-based services, particularly for stable patients who don’t need frequent appointments. For those with insurance, Klarity’s growing network participation can make quality psychiatric care accessible at standard copay rates.
Price and access matter, but quality of care ultimately determines whether a telehealth platform serves patients well. Here’s what real-world experiences reveal.
One major differentiator is who actually provides your care. Some platforms employ:
Talkiatry exclusively uses psychiatrists, which explains its higher credibility for complex cases and controlled substance prescribing. Most other platforms rely heavily on psychiatric nurse practitioners, who can provide excellent care but may have less training in complicated cases or multiple co-existing conditions.
Continuity of care—seeing the same provider consistently—significantly impacts treatment quality. Many Cerebral users complain about frequent provider changes, requiring them to repeatedly explain their history and preferences. Talkiatry and Klarity Health prioritize continuity, assigning patients to specific providers for ongoing care.
How quickly can you get help when you need it? This varies dramatically:
Best-case scenarios:
Slower options:
For medication refills and simple questions, messaging systems can provide quick responses. However, some patients report that Cerebral’s support responsiveness declined significantly after its 2022 policy changes, with wait times for customer service stretching to days.
Different platforms take markedly different approaches to mental healthcare:
Medication-focused models (like Done previously, and to some extent Cerebral) emphasize medication management with less attention to therapy or lifestyle factors. This works for some patients but fails those who need more comprehensive support.
Therapy-first models (like Brightside’s positioning) avoid controlled substances and emphasize therapeutic approaches. This serves patients well when appropriate but creates barriers for those who genuinely need medications others won’t prescribe.
Comprehensive models (Talkiatry, Klarity Health) aim to offer the full toolkit: therapy, non-controlled medications, controlled medications when appropriate, and lifestyle counseling. This flexibility allows truly individualized treatment but requires provider expertise to navigate well.
Patient feedback consistently shows that feeling heard and respected matters enormously. Rushed 15-minute appointments where patients feel processed rather than cared for generate poor satisfaction, regardless of whether the prescribed medication is technically correct.
The Done and Cerebral controversies revealed inadequate oversight in some telehealth startups. Red flags included:
Reputable platforms have strong safeguards:
Online reviews should be interpreted carefully, but patterns emerge:
Talkiatry receives generally positive reviews (4.2-4.5 stars on most platforms) with praise for provider quality but occasional complaints about scheduling rigidity and insurance billing surprises.
Cerebral has mixed reviews (3.0-3.5 stars), with recent comments often mentioning difficulty getting medication needs met and frustrating customer service.
Brightside scores well (4.0-4.5 stars) among its target audience but many 1-star reviews from people who didn’t realize it doesn’t treat ADHD.
Hims & Hers shows polarized reviews—5-star reviews often praise convenience and results; 1-star reviews typically cite ineffective treatments or subscription billing issues.
Done (pre-shutdown) accumulated numerous negative reviews about rushed appointments and sudden service disruptions when pharmacies stopped filling prescriptions.
When reading reviews, look for patterns rather than individual stories, and recognize that people more often leave reviews when extremely satisfied or dissatisfied—the ‘pretty good’ middle experience is underrepresented.
Different telehealth platforms excel with specific patient groups or conditions.
If you need diagnosis and treatment for ADHD including stimulant medications:
Best option: Talkiatry, with proper psychiatric evaluation and follow-up.
Not suitable: Brightside (explicitly doesn’t treat ADHD), Cerebral (no new stimulant prescriptions), general platforms like Teladoc/MDLive/PlushCare (policy restrictions).
Klarity consideration: Klarity Health provides comprehensive ADHD evaluation and treatment including stimulant medications when clinically appropriate, with faster appointment availability than many insurance-based psychiatry platforms.
If you have anxiety or depression without complicating factors:
Suitable options: Nearly all platforms can prescribe SSRIs, SNRIs, and provide supportive therapy. Brightside specifically focuses on these conditions. Cerebral, Hims & Hers, and general platforms all treat straightforward anxiety and depression.
Consider carefully: If you’ve previously required benzodiazepines or have treatment-resistant conditions, most direct-to-consumer platforms won’t be adequate. Talkiatry or Klarity Health offer more comprehensive options.
If you struggle with sleep:
Limited telehealth options: Most platforms won’t prescribe Ambien or similar controlled sleep medications. You’ll typically be offered trazodone, hydroxyzine, or melatonin.
Better approach: Platforms that offer cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) alongside medication alternatives provide more comprehensive treatment. Klarity Health includes sleep specialists who can address insomnia from multiple angles.
If you have multiple overlapping conditions (e.g., ADHD plus anxiety, depression plus insomnia, bipolar plus ADHD):
Best approach: Comprehensive psychiatric platforms with experienced providers. Talkiatry and Klarity Health can handle complex presentations. Single-focus platforms like Brightside or general providers may not adequately address multiple conditions.
Conditions like PMDD, postpartum depression, or perimenopause-related mood changes require specific expertise:
Specialized options: Some platforms are developing women’s health-specific services. Klarity Health includes providers experienced in hormonal influences on mental health.
General platforms: Can treat postpartum depression with standard medications but may lack specialized knowledge of menstrual cycle effects or perimenopause.
Medicare and other senior-focused insurance often cover telehealth:
Suitable platforms: MDLive, Teladoc, and Amwell work well with Medicare. Talkiatry accepts Medicare. Klarity Health serves older adults with providers experienced in age-related considerations.
Concerns: Subscription-based platforms may be harder for seniors to navigate, and some don’t accept Medicare at all.
Before choosing a telehealth mental health provider, consider these questions:
About your needs:
About providers:
About medications:
About cost:
About quality and safety:
In a crowded and sometimes confusing marketplace, Klarity Health has carved out a distinct position by learning from both the successes and failures of other telehealth platforms.
Comprehensive but responsible prescribing: Unlike platforms that simply refuse to prescribe any controlled substances, Klarity Health treats the full spectrum of conditions including ADHD, anxiety, and insomnia. Providers can prescribe stimulants, and when clinically appropriate, other controlled medications—but only after thorough evaluation and with proper monitoring. This balanced approach serves patients who have been turned away by overly restrictive platforms without replicating the reckless prescribing that brought down Done and damaged Cerebral’s reputation.
Transparent pricing without subscription traps: Klarity accepts both insurance (for those with coverage) and offers straightforward cash-pay pricing for those without. You’re not locked into monthly subscriptions that charge you whether you need care that month or not. This flexibility particularly benefits stable patients who may need only occasional check-ins once their treatment is optimized.
Faster access than insurance-only platforms: While insurance-based psychiatric services like Talkiatry can involve weeks of waiting for initial appointments, Klarity typically books new patients within days. For someone struggling with untreated ADHD, debilitating anxiety, or other urgent concerns, this difference in accessibility can be life-changing.
Provider continuity and expertise: Klarity emphasizes pairing patients with consistent providers who have specialized training in the conditions being treated. This continuity allows providers to truly understand each patient’s unique situation and adjust treatment thoughtfully over time.
Responsive support: When you need to reach your provider between appointments, message responses typically come within one business day. Prescription refill requests are handled efficiently without the delays that plague some larger platforms.
Whether you’re seeking initial diagnosis and treatment, looking for a new provider after being dissatisfied elsewhere, or simply wanting to know your options before making a decision, Klarity Health offers a middle path: more comprehensive than restrictive platforms, more responsible than anything-goes startups, and more accessible than traditional insurance-based psychiatry.
Choosing a mental health provider—whether in-person or via telehealth—is a significant decision. The right fit depends on your specific conditions, medication needs, insurance situation, and personal preferences.
If you’re dealing with ADHD, anxiety, depression, insomnia, or other mental health concerns and haven’t found adequate support through other channels, consider exploring Klarity Health. With licensed providers available across major states including California, Texas, Florida, New York, Pennsylvania, and Illinois, comprehensive treatment approaches, and both insurance and cash-pay options, Klarity is designed to fill the gaps left by other platforms’ limitations.
Your mental health deserves thoughtful, expert care that’s both accessible and trustworthy. In a telehealth landscape still recovering from recent upheavals, that combination has become more valuable—and harder to find—than ever.
AP News – DOJ indictment of Done Global (ADHD telehealth) (apnews.com) – June 14, 2024
TIME Magazine – ‘Why Online Therapy Startups Are Falling Short’ (time.com) – November 1, 2022
TechTarget – Cerebral settles over prescribing practices (www.techtarget.com) – November 6, 2024
AP News – FDA warns telehealth on weight-loss claims (apnews.com) – September 16, 2025
Brightside Health – Official medication prescribing and pricing policies (www.brightside.com) – Updated 2025
📅 Research Currency Statement: Verified as of January 4, 2026. Provider status confirmed through official company policies, recent news coverage (2024-2025), and Department of Justice press releases.
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