Psychiatric Evaluations

Before you begin treatment for mental health and brain health, it's essential to undergo a thorough assessment. Michelle Mottern, PMHNP, FNP, and the team at Mosaic Brain Health in St. Petersburg, Florida, perform psychiatric evaluations to ensure patients receive accurate diagnoses and benefit from the most effective treatments. Call Mosaic Brain Health to find out more about psychiatric evaluations. Or visit the practice online today to request an in-person or telehealth appointment.

What are psychiatric evaluations?

At Mosaic Brain Health, psychiatric evaluations are the first step on the road to recovery from mental health disorders and brain health concerns.

Before the team can design a suitable treatment program, they need to know as much about their patients as possible. This information is crucial to accurately diagnosing mental health problems. The causes of psychiatric disorders often involve a complex combination of factors.

For instance, childhood experiences can have profound effects on development and later mental health issues. Examples include:

• Upbringing
• Parental relationships
• Sibling relationships
• Childhood friends
• School life

In many cases, adult mental health disorders have links to childhood experiences and events. Other depression triggers include challenging experiences like job loss, excessive stress, relationship breakdown, and grief.

Additional factors that can influence mental health and brain health involve inherited genes that can make a person more prone to psychological or behavioral problems and medical conditions that affect health.

Certain physical disorders, such as hormone imbalances, alter brain chemistry and can cause psychological symptoms. Others, like chronic pain conditions and long-term diseases, may cause anxiety and depression because they're challenging to manage.

What can I expect from psychiatric evaluations?

At Mosaic Brain Health, you will receive a compassionate evaluation without labels. The psychiatric evaluation process includes taking a detailed medical history and family history. 

The team uses psychological assessment tools to provide invaluable information about patients’ mental well-being and brain health.

It's helpful to complete the initial forms for your history of illnesses and any current symptoms before attending your appointment with your provider.

What forms are needed for psychiatric evaluations?

During psychiatric evaluations, you may be asked to complete several forms, including any combination of the following:

• Adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) self-report scale
• Mood disorder questionnaire
• Mania rating scale
• Personality disorder screener
• Eating disorder questionnaire
• Inventory of Complicated Grief (ICG)
• Adult depression
• Geriatric depression scale
• Trauma questionnaire
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for civilians and military
• Social phobia/anxiety
• Panic disorder severity scale
• Disability scale
• Suicidality scale
• Substance use detailed history
• Alcohol use screening

Questionnaires are also available for older children to complete themselves, supported by forms from parents or caregivers and sometimes teachers.

Call Mosaic Brain Health, for compassionate psychiatric evaluations without labels. Or request an appointment using the online scheduling feature.