Atlas Psychiatry
Advanced Mental Health Care
Adult & Child Psychiatry | therapy | Psychological Testing | Ketamine | TMS | Tele-Health | EMDR | Student Mental Health
Initial Psychiatric Evaluation
Child or Adult
The initial psychiatric evaluation is the cornerstone of advanced psychiatric treatment. Many patients have been misdiagnosed or misinformed about their diagnoses. Our physicians enjoy figuring out the real problem and developing a plan to help you feel better and improve your life. We plan to get you all the way well.
During your initial evaluation, your doctor will spend 90 minutes with you, during which time you will discuss your/your child's history, current concerns, and goals for treatment. Your doctor will thoroughly evaluate to ensure that you/your child are properly diagnosed.
At the end of your evaluation, your doctor will provide information about your diagnosis and create a collaborative treatment plan. This includes discussing medications and side effects, writing prescriptions, ordering tests to help clarify the diagnosis, and making referrals to psychotherapy if needed.
Our doctors believe that the choice to take, or not take, medication is in the hands of the patient or family. For many issues, medication is highly effective first line treatment. For many others, therapy or lifestyle changes may be beneficial before making a decision about medication. In either case, your doctor will always be upfront about his or her professional recommendation, but respect your decision and tailor treatment to fit those wishes.