A psychiatric evaluation includes a systemic evaluation of the symptoms, causes, and timeline of presentation of symptoms, causes, timeline of presentation, contributory factors including family history, substance being used, medications, allergies, social factors, prior mental illnesses, surgical or medical conditions, mental status assessment and physical examination including vital signs. The initial psychiatric evaluation process is usually done via an interview which typically last about 1 hour, depending on extensiveness of the history or available collateral information.

At Mindset Behavioral Clinic, psychiatric diagnoses are made using the gold standard for diagnosis of mental illness in the United States –The DSM 5. Upon completion of a psychiatric evaluation, treatment recommendation is usually provided and discussed with the patient who is carried along as part of the decision-making process and treatment plan development.