A full picture, not a quick checklist
Plenty of people in Denver have filled out a five-question screener at a primary care visit and walked out with a prescription. Sometimes that works. Often it misses something: anxiety that is really ADHD, depression that is really bipolar disorder, or exhaustion that is really sleep apnea. A psychiatric evaluation at our Blake Street office takes the time to get the diagnosis right before anything else happens.
What we will talk about
Your provider will ask what brought you in and what has changed. Expect questions about sleep, appetite, energy, concentration, work, relationships, and stress. They will ask about past treatment, every medicine and supplement you take, and your family's mental health history. Bring names and doses if you can. Old records help but are not required to get started.
Cannabis, alcohol, and natural medicine
Colorado has had legal recreational cannabis since 2014, and many Denver patients use it for sleep or anxiety. We will ask about it without judgment, along with alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and any psilocybin or other natural medicine use under the state's newer program. All of these can change mood and sleep, and some interact with psychiatric medicines. Honest answers lead to a safer plan.
Rating scales and lab work
Short questionnaires give your symptoms a baseline number. The PHQ-9 measures depression, the GAD-7 measures anxiety, and adult ADHD screeners help when focus is the issue. If a medical cause could be involved, such as thyroid disease, anemia, low vitamin D, or a sleep disorder, your provider may order labs or coordinate with your primary care doctor.
Trauma and PTSD
Trauma can come from many places: combat, assault, a crash on I-25, a medical emergency, or years of a hard childhood. Denver also lived through the 2012 Aurora theater shooting and the 2019 STEM School shooting in Highlands Ranch, and first responders here see hard things every week. Post-traumatic stress disorder often shows up as nightmares, flashbacks, feeling on guard, or avoiding reminders. Your provider screens for it carefully, often with the PCL-5, and you decide how much to share.
Bipolar disorder screening
Bipolar disorder is often missed for years because people seek help when they are low, not when they are high. Your provider will ask about times you slept very little but felt full of energy, talked fast, spent heavily, or took risks you later regretted. These questions matter because antidepressants alone can trigger mania in bipolar disorder, while mood stabilizers can keep things steady.
Altitude, light, and sleep
Some newcomers to the Mile High City notice worse sleep for the first weeks, and short winter days can drag mood down even with plenty of sunshine. Shift work at Denver International Airport, hospitals, and the restaurant scene in LoDo adds another layer. Your provider will look at your sleep schedule closely, because fixing sleep often makes every other treatment work better.
Who we see
We see adults and teens 15 and older from LoDo, RiNo, Five Points, Capitol Hill, the Highlands, Park Hill, and the wider metro. Students at CU Denver, MSU Denver, and Community College of Denver on the Auraria campus are welcome, and so are tech workers, nurses, and anyone else juggling a full life.
New to Colorado
Denver keeps drawing transplants from both coasts and the Midwest. Moving here often means leaving behind friends, family, and a familiar doctor, and the first winter can be lonelier than expected. If symptoms started or worsened after a move, say so. Your provider will ask about your support network and help you rebuild care here, including getting records from your previous prescriber.
Bring someone if it helps
You are welcome to bring a partner, parent, or friend for part of the visit. People close to you often notice changes you miss, like snapping more, sleeping less, or pulling away. You decide what they hear, and you can always have time alone with your provider.
After your evaluation
You will hear your provider's working diagnosis in plain language, with the reasons behind it, and leave with a plan. That may include starting medication with medication management, lab work, or GeneSight testing if several medicines have not worked.
Find us near Coors Field
We are at 2301 Blake St, a few blocks from Coors Field and within walking distance of Union Station. No referral is needed to become a patient.
Why Choose Elevate Denver Mental Health?
- Now accepting new patients across the Denver metro and all of Colorado - no 3-month waitlists
- Board-certified psychiatric providers, not just therapists
- We take most major insurance, plus Medicare — and keep costs transparent
- Real evaluations, not 10-minute med checks