For many years now, popular media have conveyed futuristic images of people being teleported from one location to the next; of people wearing technological glasses that allow blind people to see; and of people using simple handheld devices to diagnose medical problems. All of these are derived from just one television show. What makes our current issue on Telemental Health quite 'trekkie' is that the technology to reach patients hundreds or thousands of miles away not only exists, but is more commonly used every day. While 1 am compelled to state that I am not, nor have I been, a 'trekkie,' the sheer magnitude of the power to reach patients in their own neighborhoods and communities is awe-inspiring. Child and adolescent psychiatry is a field, like all of child mental health, which is marked by drastic shortages in providers. Outside of certain major cities, patients and families often need to travel over a hundred miles or wait for over 6 months to see the first available provider.
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