PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION

Your provider needs to have as much information as possible before recommending treatment for a mental health disorder. Tony Akpengbe, DNP, and the Diligence Care Plus team in San Bernardino, California, perform detailed psychiatric evaluations to ensure they diagnose and treat patients accurately. Call their office to arrange your psychiatric evaluation or request one using the online form today.

PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION Q & A

What is a psychiatric evaluation?

A psychiatric evaluation is when you first seek help with a mental health problem — it ensures that your therapist understands your condition and circumstances before recommending treatment. Your therapist can diagnose and treat conditions following a comprehensive assessment, such as:

• Depression (major depressive disorder)
• Schizophrenia
• Bipolar disorder
• Anxiety disorders
• Phobias
• Substance use disorder
• Eating disorders
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Perinatal and postnatal depression
• Personality disorders

Psychiatric disorder symptoms are often similar; for example, PTSD, OCD, and eating disorders can all cause severe anxiety. You could also have more than one condition — depression and anxiety often occur together, and substance use disorder can develop when people turn to drugs or alcohol to cope with their mental health problems.

A thorough psychiatric evaluation is the best way to determine what’s causing your symptoms so you get the help you need.

What happens at my psychiatric evaluation?

Before you attend your consultation at Diligence Care Plus, you complete a questionnaire providing essential information. Your therapist might also ask you to do other tests, like a depression assessment tool.

The information you provide, alongside your medical and mental health history, gives your therapist the background they need to conduct a productive discussion.

After an introduction and checking your information, your therapist asks about your symptoms and how they affect daily life; they need to know about your home, work, lifestyle, and other influences on your mental health. It’s vital to be honest and not leave anything out — your therapist’s only interest is helping you, not judging you.

Sometimes mental health problems result from physical conditions like hypothyroidism, menopause, chronic pain, cancer, and other long-term issues. Diligence Care Plus provides lab services to diagnose them and can also treat you if a physical problem is causing or contributing to your poor mental health.

What will be the outcome of my psychiatric evaluation?

After they diagnose your mental health condition, your therapist recommends an appropriate treatment program. Your program could include mental health counseling, medication management, or both.

They can also offer expert advice and support to help you make lifestyle changes to boost your physical and mental health, such as losing weight, improving your diet, quitting smoking, drinking less alcohol, and increasing physical activity.

Call Diligence Care Plus to arrange a psychiatric evaluation or book one online today.