Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation

A comprehensive psychiatric evaluation is the starting point for residents of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, searching for mental health guidance and support. Board-certified adult and child psychiatrist Sarah Gatumu, MD, encourages anyone who wants to achieve improvement to reach out to New Direction Functional Psychiatry to book an initial visit. Online scheduling is one option; the practice can also be reached by phone during normal business hours.

What is a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation?

A comprehensive psychiatric evaluation is an effort to determine the full scope of an individual’s mental health challenges, needs, and strengths. It seeks to understand how physical, genetic, social, and cognitive elements affect how the individual feels and functions daily. 

Comprehensive psychiatric evaluations sometimes occur due to problems at school, work, or within social settings. Issues like sleep disruption, substance abuse, emotional distress, or disordered thinking can all bring people in for this essential first step in the treatment process. 

What should I expect during my comprehensive psychiatric evaluation?

The process is highly personalized, and your comprehensive psychiatric evaluation is shaped to align with your unique set of circumstances. Some of the elements you can expect include:

• Description of your behaviors, including when and how they arise
• Discussion of your symptoms, both psychiatric and physical
• Exploration of how behaviors and symptoms affect relationships
• Personal and family health history, including psychiatric health
• Lab testing (as needed)
• GeneSight® pharmacogenomic testing (as needed)

While the comprehensive psychiatric evaluation is an individualized experience, family members and loved ones can be included in the treatment planning process.   

What kinds of treatments are available from the practice?

New Direction Functional Psychiatry strives to remain on the cutting edge of psychiatric assessment and treatment. New technologies are always being evaluated to ensure the treatment options available through the practice represent the highest industry standards. 

Talk therapy is a powerful approach and involves working one-on-one with a trained therapist to better understand the connections between thoughts and behaviors, as well as the issues that create and fuel mental health problems. 

Medication can also be a powerful tool in treating certain mental health conditions. Options like esketamine therapy are helpful to many, and many other drugs are designed to address specific needs. Professional medication management is essential in ensuring that drug therapy is working for and not against you. 

GeneSight pharmacogenomic testing helps determine how genetic factors might influence the way your body responds to various forms of drug therapy.  

For those who have not found relief from depression through traditional treatment, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) therapy can deliver impressive improvements. Optimizing micronutrients through supplements is another approach that offers a path toward relief. 

When you’re ready to begin, call or click to schedule an assessment today.