When you reach out to Blue Lily Psychiatry because you are finally ready to feel better about yourself, one of our three nurse practitioners will ask you to complete a psychiatric evaluation during your first visit. The evaluation is conducted in an interview style format over 60-90 minutes with set questions to identify your problems so we can treat you according to the right diagnoses.
Common conditions that may lead you to seeking out a psychiatric evaluation include:
- Sudden and sometimes violent mood swings
- Severe insomnia
- Loss of appetite
- Feeling disconnected from the people and things around you
- Exhibiting unusual behavior
- Becoming paranoid
- Hallucinating
- Suddenly losing interest in activities, you once enjoyed
- Experiencing unexplainable memory loss
Questions will include your family history, medical history, and what medications you are taking. The staff member conducting the evaluation wants to make sure your mental or emotional issues are not due to an untreated physical condition. The questions asked during a psychiatric evaluation are provided with guidance from the American Psychiatry Association (APA) so there is no bias or variation in wording of the questions.
Sample questions include:
- Do you have any history of substance abuse?
- Has anyone in your family committed suicide?
- Do you have a family history of mental illness?
- What was your childhood like?
- Do you have any history of being abused?
- Have you had any significant medical conditions or surgery in the past?
- Do you have panic attacks?
- Have you been struggling to fall asleep or stay asleep?
- Have you ever been diagnosed or treated for any mental illness?
It is important to answer each question truthfully, especially when it comes to alcohol and drug use. Mental illness is just like physical illness in that one person may exhibit different symptoms than someone else with the same diagnosis.
At other times, a friend or family member may insist on you getting a psychiatric evaluation. This is an emergency evaluation and has to be ordered by a physician after ruling out other medical reasons.
An emergency psychiatric evaluation may be requested if:
- A person is exhibiting violent behavior towards themselves or other people
- A person is highly agitated and confused
- A person is hallucinating
- A person is threatening self-harm or exhibiting suicidal behavior
- A person has a history of drug abuse and is exhibiting symptoms of a mental health condition
If you or a loved one is experiencing any of these symptoms and you need immediate help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 888 or 911 if someone is in immediate danger. Once you are stable, Blue Lily Psychiatry will help you move forward with your treatment.
Sometimes, the court system may require you to take a psychiatric evaluation. This could be for many reasons, such as if you are fit to stand trial, child custody disputes, and some civil cases. These evaluations may contain other assessments, such as IQ testing, input from family and friends, personality tests, evaluations of the evaluation process, and risk assessment. Because there are multiple evaluations involved in a court ordered evaluation, these psychiatric evaluations may take days, weeks, or months. Treatment may begin the next day if the individual is deemed to be a danger to themselves or others.
The only preparation you need for a psychiatric evaluation is making sure your insurance is accepted (at Blue Lily Psychiatry, we accept many different insurances as well as private pay. Just click on the drop-down menu for your state to see what insurance we take) and have a list of all the medications or supplements you take. Your psychiatric evaluation will take place online, so find a private, comfortable place with no distractions.
Once your psychiatric evaluation is complete, our team will diagnose you with a condition or conditions that best fit your symptoms. Depending on the severity of your condition or what medications you are on for your overall health, we will recommend medication, nutrition, group therapy, or a combination of treatments to help you feel your best.
Whether it is depression, anxiety, ADHD, insomnia, or something else, Blue Lily Psychiatry is here to help you, wherever you may be.