RoMind Online Psychiatry Review

In the United States, 1 out of every 5 adults experiences a mental illness. When our mental health is poor, it can impact the way we are able to interact with others, handle stress or major life events, maintain our daily hygiene, sleep, eat, or even affect our ability to work. In fact, disorders such as depression and anxiety cost the global economy one trillion dollars from lost productivity annually, and the World Health Organization has named depression a leading cause of disability worldwide. 

However, according to the Health Resources & Services Administration, more than 160 million Americans live in an area where there is a shortage of mental health care providers; these areas are known as therapy deserts. This means that even if someone knows that they need mental health care, they might not be able to access it easily.

RoMind is a telemedicine service that is trying to change that. It seeks to identify and treat anxiety, depression, and seasonal affective disorder—with therapy and medication management—in an affordable, accessible way. That’s why we decided to review it, evaluating the company against 54 other online therapy providers by surveying 105 users that had used the platform. Here’s how it fared.

What Is RoMind?

RoMind was originally a digital health company called Roman (Ro for short), founded in 2017 by Zachariah Reitano, Saman Rahmanian, and Rob Shultz as a telehealth website to assist men with hair loss and erectile dysfunction. After a series of personal health scares and navigating a far-too-confusing health care system, the idea behind Ro was to create simple, convenient, and reliable health care. In July 2021, it expanded its network and introduced RoMind to provide evaluation and treatment to individuals with anxiety, depression, and seasonal affective disorder (formally known as major depressive disorder with seasonal pattern). The company’s goal is to make telehealth and in-home care, diagnostics, and pharmacy services accessible and affordable without insurance. 

What Services Does RoMind Offer?

RoMind focuses on treating three specific mental illnesses: anxiety, depression, and seasonal affective disorder. Unlike some of the other companies we reviewed, it focuses on medication management in its treatment, not talk therapy. It has a nationwide network of pharmacy providers who can ship prescribed medications directly to your door, discreetly, and within two days for no additional charge.

Patients also have access to prerecorded self-paced psychotherapy support via a service called “Virtual Sessions.” These educational videos are hosted by RoMind’s network of licensed providers and provide tools to help with your mental health, including ways to manage anxiety and depression and tips to sleep better. These can be accessed at any time on the app or website. There are also informational and educational blog posts that hoard a wealth of knowledge on mental illnesses, how to manage them, and how they can affect other parts of your life.

Who Is RoMind For?

As noted above, RoMind is a medication management service for those suffering from anxiety, depression, and seasonal affective disorder. It is only for adults aged 18 or older. 

People seeking telemedicine services for more severe mental illnesses and disorders, severe anxiety, or severe depression are not a good fit for RoMind and should seek professional care outside of the RoMind network. 

Additionally, those who may need controlled substances (such as Adderall or Xanax) as part of their medication regimen should seek care elsewhere, as RoMind cannot prescribe these medications.

How Much Does RoMind Cost?

RoMind offers a monthly subscription to its patients, which costs $85 a month and includes up to three check-in appointments a month as well as prescribed medication (including shipping) from RoMind’s nationwide pharmacy network. 

If you prefer to get your medication from a pharmacy outside its network of pharmacies, the monthly membership rate is $70. This plan also includes up to three check-in appointments a month, but filling a prescription outside of RoMind’s network is your responsibility. 

Both monthly subscriptions also include access to virtual sessions, which are self-paced, and prerecorded videos chock-full of information on mental illness, self-care tips, and more. With affordability also being a common barrier to mental health services, especially in marginalized communities, RoMind can be an affordable option for those who need medication management services.  

Does RoMind Accept Insurance?

No, RoMind does not accept insurance. 

Does RoMind Offer Discounts?

Yes, you can get a pretty hefty discount on your first month of service—which was a nice surprise to me. 

This discount is applicable to all first-time users and adjusts the price to $15 for the first month, a savings of $70. 

All subscribers are also eligible for a free consultation as their first appointment—though you will still need to provide your credit card information during sign-up. This free session is when your chosen provider will determine whether you’re a good candidate for RoMind’s services. 

Navigating the RoMind Website 

I found the website to be informative without being overwhelming, using relatively simple terms throughout each page. The navigation was easy, and 65% of our users found it to be so as well. The Ro homepage is clear and to the point, with “your healthcare, simplified” in large font against a stark white background. A search box asks you “What are your health goals?” and next to it is an option to “see all treatments.” Lower on this page, you are presented with an overview of multiple digital health care services offered by Ro, including mental health.

Anytime I accessed the website, the option for mental health services was one of the icons on the home screen. This can also be accessed by selecting the “Daily Health” tab on the homepage header followed by “Focus on mental health,” under which is listed “Anxiety and Depression.” This takes you to a page that reads, in large font, “Feel like you again,” with the option to choose “Depression,” “Anxiety,” or “Seasonal Affective Disorder.” These links take you to pages explaining the medication options for each of these conditions. 

There is also an option to enter your health goals in the search bar on the homepage to receive a list of available treatments. Additionally, you can scroll down the homepage and access the mental health resources under a title that reads “What can we help you with today?” 

Immediately upon landing on the mental health page, there is an option to start an online visit. This prompts you to either log in or sign up for Ro services. 

Does RoMind Have an App?

Yes, Ro has an app available through both the Apple and Android download centers. One unique feature of the app is that it requires a passcode or face ID to open, in addition to automatically logging out if a user opens another application—this adds protection and privacy. Some facets of the app do link back to a webpage though, so it might be best to use a computer for the best user experience.

How Do You Sign Up for RoMind?

I found the sign-up process to be rather simple; in fact, I would even say it might have been too simple. The process, including the intake questionnaire, took less than 30 minutes, though this is still longer than many competitors’ intake procedures, such as those from BetterHelp and Talkspace. However, keeping in mind that the company only works within three specific areas, the questionnaire seems adequate.

The intake questionnaire starts by asking: “What brings you here today?” with five possible answers. 

It then moves on to ask how long you’ve had symptoms and about recent life events such as job loss, the death of a loved one, moving, financial troubles, or changes in health. The questions seemed to be based on how the previous question was answered. For example, if you answer the question “What brings you here today?” with “I’ve been feeling depressed or low,” the next question is “How long have you been feeling this way?”

The next set of questions is specific to how you have been feeling and what you have been experiencing over the last two weeks. Some of the questions asked in this section included “How often have you been bothered by feeling nervous, anxious, or on edge?” and “How difficult has it been to get along with family and close friends, socialize, or perform well at work/school because of the feelings that brought you to this visit?” It also asked, “Have you previously been diagnosed with any of the following psychiatric conditions by a health care provider?” and lists several mental illnesses and disorders to choose from.

During the intake questionnaire, you are also asked about your medication history, what you have tried for treatment, pregnancy, drug use, ethnicity, and symptoms you may have experienced.

There were two questions that I found interesting and do not recall ever being asked before in previous intake questionnaires: “Do you ever hear things other people don’t hear or see things other people don’t see?” and “Do you have special abilities or powers that most humans don’t possess?” 

“These questions pertain to psychosis and mania, which are issues that most online therapy companies, including RoMind, cannot adequately address,” explains Hannah Owens, LMSW and subject matter expert. “An affirmative answer to these questions means that RoMind is not the right service for people experiencing these symptoms, and ostensibly, the company would tell these people to seek services elsewhere.” 

While the intake questionnaire asked for my gender, ethnicity, and year of birth (to confirm my age), I found it interesting that it did not ask about my religion, sexual orientation, or provider preferences. Providing this information would ensure a better match with a mental health clinician who shares your cultural, ethnic, or racial background. 

The questionnaire also did not ask about self-harm, harming others, or suicidal ideation, all of which would preclude you from using RoMind, as it is not equipped to help those in crisis. These are all questions I have been asked in previous intake questionnaires, and the answers are important information for an online therapy company (or your therapist) to have in order to properly address your needs or refer you to a service that can.

At the end of the questionnaire, you are prompted to select a date and time for your consultation and are automatically matched with a provider based on your location.

Matching With a Provider

You are matched with a provider based on the provider's areas of expertise, availability, and where they are licensed to practice. All the providers within RoMind are licensed professionals; some are licensed in one state while others are licensed in multiple states. Sixty-four percent of users were satisfied or very satisfied with the provider options in RoMind’s directory. Seventy-seven percent found the platform’s overall helpfulness in connecting them to a provider to be good, very good, or excellent.

How Do Sessions Work at RoMind?

To begin services, I met in a one-on-one, 20-minute video call with the provider I was matched with—in general, this call occurs within 48 hours of your online assessment. Your first session is this initial consultation. During this video call, you can expect to get a brief overview of RoMind, a review of the answers you provide in the intake questionnaire, the opportunity to share your treatment goals, and, if deemed eligible for treatment through RoMind, create a treatment plan. It’s during this time that the provider will ask you about your mental health history, previous diagnoses (if any), and your current list of medications. Based on the information you give, at the end of the consultation, the provider will inform you if you are a good fit for RoMind’s services or if you should seek care locally. It is also at this point that you will discuss medication if your provider thinks it’s necessary.

Once a treatment plan is established, you can schedule up to three monthly check-ins (included in either membership option) with the provider that gives you an opportunity to share how you are progressing with your current treatment. These check-ins last 15 to 30 minutes (and 13% of our users found the length of the sessions to be appropriate for their needs). During my check-ins, I was asked questions such as: “Have you developed an onset of additional symptoms? Have any symptoms been eradicated? Does your medication need to be adjusted?” While it felt natural for me to answer these kinds of questions, 24% of our users found it difficult to talk about their symptoms and how they were feeling. 

After a few months, you will schedule a “renewal visit.” While the check-ins are for ongoing analysis of symptoms and the effectiveness of medications, the renewal visits take a look at other health factors. During this time, you can share any medical changes such as diagnosis of a disease, pregnancy, or upcoming surgeries. However, both the check-ins and renewal visits are ongoing opportunities for the provider to evaluate your eligibility to continue receiving services through the RoMind platform.

Messaging Your Provider

Most communication with providers occurs through a chat option that can be found online and in the app. If the provider needs to reach out to you, you will receive an email notification rerouting you to the website’s chat option to reply to the provider. Thirty-eight percent of our users found their providers to be available when they needed them; another 41% found them to be responsive to their questions and medication needs. 

Although the care team is available Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., the site mentions a two-day response time when sending a message to the provider or care team, and on numerous occasions, I waited in excess of this time for a response. I messaged during those operating hours but got an email response around day three.

Video Sessions

Your initial consultation and monthly check-ins take place over video sessions. Once an appointment is made, a reminder email and text message are sent with the applicable link to access the session. You can also find appointment reminders within the user portal, which will link you to your session. These are secure links that cannot be accessed before your scheduled time. I found the most success accessing the sessions from my phone, as logging in from the user portal did not immediately open my sessions at the scheduled time. Upon clicking the provided link to access the session, you are prompted to enter your name, then you’re placed in a “waiting room” until your provider joins the call. The video and audio quality may vary based on your chosen device (and stable internet connection) as well as that of your provider. I used a MacBook Air and iPhone XR, both of which provided great overall quality. I found my provider to be prompt, personable, and direct as well as compassionate and knowledgeable. Because the sessions are designed to be check-ins rather than traditional therapy sessions, they were fairly quick but effective.

Medication Management

Medication management services like the one RoMind provides can involve either maintenance of a medication regimen you are already on or the prescription of new medication (or prescribing medication for the first time). If you are already taking prescription medication for your needs, you can work with a RoMind provider to determine if you should continue your current regimen or start a new medication according to what your RoMind provider can prescribe. Medications can also be adjusted as needed during the treatment process; RoMind does inform users that a new medication can take upward of eight weeks before any noticeable improvement. 

The biggest thing to note with RoMind services is what types of medications it can prescribe. In its frequently asked questions section, RoMind explains that its providers cannot prescribe controlled substances like benzodiazepines (like Xanax), stimulants (like Adderall), or opioids (like Percocet) and that its treatment is limited to anxiety and depression.

Since RoMind specializes in medication management, it is especially important that a provider can truly work with a patient to find the best treatment option available. Thirty-nine percent of our users switched medications two to three times during the course of their treatment plan, with 56% of them initiating the change themselves and 44% of them reporting a change by their provider based on the symptoms shared during the check-ins. However, 18% of our RoMind users found that the provider did not consider their opinions about medication. Likewise, 18% felt the provider did not respond quickly enough concerning refills. Another 16% of our RoMind users felt their provider did not respect their wants and needs regarding the medication they take. 

What Happens If I Miss a Session at RoMind?

Once logged into your account, you can use the reschedule button to be redirected to a list of available dates and times for your provider. If this request is being made after a missed session, you have the option to message your care team using the chat feature to request a new appointment time. Since users pay a flat rate via a monthly subscription, there are no additional fees (or penalties) for canceling or rescheduling a session.

Switching Providers at RoMind

Should you not find your matched provider suitable, you can reach out to the care team via the chat option and make a request to change. A member of the care team (using the same match criteria as above) will rematch you with another provider if one is available. It does take roughly two days to get a response, so it would be best for you to make the request as soon as possible to minimize disruptions to your treatment process and plan. While 58% of our surveyed users reported all or most of their needs were met by a provider, it is not uncommon, in general, for mental health care seekers to switch providers to receive the care they need. In fact, 50% of our user respondents said they switched providers at least once.

Pausing or Canceling Services at RoMind

RoMind suggests users who are considering canceling their membership or ending their treatment plan do so after reaching out to their provider to address any concerns they are having. It goes on to state that “it can be dangerous to abruptly end treatment without proper medical guidance.” While users are encouraged to heed this warning, those who want to end the company's services can do so by logging into their accounts and selecting the option “discontinue treatment.”

Quality of Care and User Satisfaction

I am a straight, Black, plus-size female with a Christian upbringing that has shaped a lot of my experiences and perspectives throughout life. In a setting as intimate as therapy or mental health services, it is important to me that I do not have to spend a lot of time explaining or over-explaining any part of my identity. For that reason, ordinarily, I look for a provider that mirrors how I identify or at the very least, has a broad understanding and respect for different lifestyles, ethnicities, cultures, and religions. 

When I first signed up for RoMind, I thought that I would be coupling traditional online therapy services with a medication prescription service. So, I was a little taken aback when I had my initial consultation and learned more about the platform, which truthfully could have been done had I read more on the website instead of immediately signing up based on a friend’s suggestion. 

Exploring the use of medication in my mental health care was a new experience for me. I had been vehemently against the use of medications for my mental health because, from my personal observations and research, it seemed like only controlled substances were available as treatment options. I was relieved to find out that RoMind did not even offer these types of medications. Although the sessions were short in comparison to traditional therapy sessions, I found the check-ins to be something that I looked forward to because they were quick, straight to the point, and did not leave me feeling drained afterward. 

Sixty-four percent of our surveyed users reported being satisfied with their matched provider. In terms of providers’ qualifications, 90% were ranked by our users as good, very good, or excellent, and 79% ranked the diversity of their providers as good, very good, or excellent, as well. RoMind matches users with a licensed professional in their state of residence. Eighty-two percent of our users ranked the number of quality providers in their state as good, very good, or excellent, and 69% of RoMind’s users said they would recommend it to a friend.

Privacy Policies at RoMind

Upon initially skimming the privacy policy, nothing out of the ordinary stood out to me. Of course, it collects data, such as your general demographics, when you sign up, and engaging with the company on social media gives them access to your public information. I did notice one privacy feature that made me feel secure in sharing my information with the service. When opting to use the app, it does require a password (biometrics can be set up in accordance with phone settings) before it opens. This reduces the likelihood that someone can enter the app to view sensitive information. 

It occurred to me that I was sharing rather confidential health care information, so I dug a little deeper to find out what the exact safety protocols are for safeguarding personal information. I could not find any specific information in RoMind’s privacy policy regarding being HIPAA-compliant (the federal law that protects personal health information), but I did find this excerpt regarding the selling of information: 

“Ro does not sell personal information in exchange for money as the term ‘sell’ is typically understood. But ‘sell’ under the CCPA is broadly defined, and it may include the sharing of personal information with certain third parties who provide services to us—for example, third-party marketing partners who provide us with interest-based advertising services.” 

“Selling user information for advertising purposes is, unfortunately, an all-too-common reality amongst online mental health companies,” explains Hannah Owens, LMSW and mental health editor for Verywell Mind. “It’s important to understand what exactly the company is doing with your shared information before you enter into services.”

Individuals who live in California have an opt-out option for the selling of their information. Users can read more about RoMind’s “Do Not Sell My Personal Information” policy here, which can also be accessed at the bottom of the homepage.  

RoMind vs. Its Competitors

Forty-five percent of users came to RoMind after trying another monthly subscription service. Individuals sought medication management for several reasons—some did not like their previous psychiatrist, while others felt like their primary care physician did not understand their mental health concerns. Other reasons included that the expense of their previous provider was too much or there was a lot of negative press around another online company. Prior to using RoMind, our users had various types of treatment, ranging from both in- and outpatient psychiatric or substance use treatment to medication management with a primary care physician. 

Another popular virtual psychiatry and medication management provider is Talkiatry, and users shared similar experiences to RoMind users in their reasons for seeking out care. Talkiatry provides medication management and flexible scheduling but differs from RoMind in a few distinct areas: Talkiatry only accepts insurance, it offers treatment plans for a broader range of mental illnesses, its services are available to children as young as six, and it provides therapy along with psychiatry and medication management. 

Another monumental difference between the two is Talkiatry’s initial consultation is an hour compared to RoMind’s 20 minutes, and all of the subsequent sessions are 30 minutes. However, if you need to cancel or reschedule less than 48 hours before an appointment time, there is a $100 cancellation fee. Additionally, Talkiatry is not a flat-rate monthly subscription like RoMind. Instead, insurance plans are billed based on your needs and length of visits. In its Frequently Asked Questions section regarding payment, Talkiatry suggests you contact your individual insurance providers to inquire about coverage for outpatient mental health treatment. 

Both companies ranked fairly high among their users. Overall, Talkiatry was rated good, very good, or excellent by 95% of its users—90% of RoMind users said the same about its services. Although the focus at RoMind is medication management, and users can tap into the self-paced Virtual Sessions at their leisure, 84% reported a better experience with RoMind than other companies they’d used in the past, whereas 85% reported a better experience at Talkiatry than other companies. When asked what areas the company did better in, RoMind users reported an easy-to-use site/app (40%), more culturally supportive (32% for LGBTQIA clients or 10% for BIPOC), and more qualified providers (52%). In these same categories, 45% of Talkiatry users reported an easy-to-use site/app. However, in terms of cultural support, only 24% found them to be more culturally supportive toward LGBTQIA clients and 14% toward BIPOC clients than other companies. Only 36% of Talkiatry’s users found the providers to be more qualified than other providers they’d tried. 

Final Verdict

RoMind only offers medication management and can be used in conjunction with a traditional therapy provider. For me, doing both was a bit too overwhelming. While the one-on-one check-ins with RoMind were quick, it was still a lot to schedule three per month in addition to weekly therapy sessions. While RoMind is not a substitution for traditional talk therapy services (and should not be treated as such), users can find their own groove with the platform to see if they prefer using it alone or in conjunction with therapy appointments.  

It would also be beneficial to allow users to choose their own providers based not only on location but also on those important cultural and lifestyle identifiers. Fourteen percent of the users we surveyed reported their prescribers seemed biased toward them based on race, ethnicity, and/or religious background, and another 4% reported being misgendered. Overall, 52% of users reported their prescriber took the time to really listen, with another 40% reporting not feeling rushed, and 25% finding their prescriber empathetic and caring.

In my opinion, RoMind has created a mental health support system that can revolutionize the way we view mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression. It allows a person to get the direct care they need without feeling like a burden and to forgo the typically extensive process of finding care. However, I do believe this platform is best suited for individuals who are already on their mental health care journey versus someone who might be reaching out for help for the first time.

Methodology

To fairly and accurately review the best online therapy programs, we sent questionnaires to 55 companies and surveyed 105 current users of each. This allowed us to directly compare services offered by gathering qualitative and quantitative data about each company and its users’ experiences.

Specifically, we evaluated each company on the following factors: website usability, the sign-up and therapist matching processes, therapist qualifications, types of therapy offered, the service's quality of care, client-therapist communication options, session length, subscription offerings, client privacy protections, average cost and value for money, whether it accepts insurance, how easy it is to change therapists, overall user satisfaction, and the likelihood that clients would recommend them.

We also signed up for the companies to get a sense of how this process worked, how easy the platform is, and how therapy takes place at the company. Then, we worked with a subject matter expert to get their expert analysis on how suited this company is to provide quality care to therapy seekers.