Use of videophones and low-cost standard telephone lines to provide a social presence in telepsychiatry

Research findings suggest that the value added by the video channel of curr ently available video conferencing technology is limited to the creation of a social presence of the other party. Almost all clinical information exch ange takes place on the audio channel, while the inter-personal interaction s (nods, blinks, facial expressions, and body language), which are so impor tant in a face-to-face meeting, may not be adequately captured by the video . Several of our case studies are presented which suggest that, consistent with the social presence role for video, low-cost videophones may be effect ively substituted for expensive ISDN-based systems in many mental health ap plications.