Three offices, one approach
Whether you come to our downtown Phoenix office near the light rail, our Scottsdale office on the Camelback corridor, or our Mesa office on Dobson Road, your evaluation follows the same careful approach. A provider sits down with you, listens to the whole story, and works toward an accurate diagnosis before talking about treatment. The office you choose is about convenience; the quality of care is the same.
Why the diagnosis matters so much
Many adults in the Valley have been on a medicine for years without ever having a full evaluation. Anxiety can hide ADHD. Depression can hide bipolar disorder. Exhaustion can be sleep apnea, a thyroid problem, or a medicine side effect. Each of these leads to a different treatment, and some treatments that help one condition can make another worse. That is why we take the time up front.
What your provider will ask
Expect questions about what has changed and when, how you are sleeping and eating, your energy and concentration, and how symptoms affect work, school, family, and friendships. Your provider will review your medical conditions and every medicine and supplement you take, plus alcohol, cannabis, nicotine, and caffeine. Family history matters, so share what you know about relatives with depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, or addiction.
Numbers and blood work
A pair of one-page scales, the PHQ-9 for depression and the GAD-7 for anxiety, gives today a score that future visits can beat. If something physical could be behind your symptoms, your provider may order labs or reach out to your doctor at Banner, HonorHealth, Mayo Clinic, Dignity Health, or another Valley system.
Heat, sleep, and mood
Phoenix summers bring long stretches of 110-degree days and nights that barely cool off. Many people sleep poorly from June through September, stay indoors for months, and feel more irritable and isolated. Your provider will ask whether your symptoms rise and fall with the seasons, because the pattern changes how treatment is timed.
Trauma and PTSD
Trauma takes many forms: military service, including airmen from Luke Air Force Base and veterans served by the Phoenix VA; first responders who work brutal summers; survivors of assault, abuse, or crashes on the I-10 and Loop 101; and people who crossed dangerous borders to build a life here. Post-traumatic stress disorder can bring nightmares, flashbacks, irritability, or avoiding reminders. Your provider screens gently, often using the PCL-5, and never pushes you to share more than you choose.
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder often hides for years because people seek help when they are low. Your provider will ask about any periods of high energy and little sleep, racing thoughts, fast talking, overspending, or risky decisions that felt out of character. Getting this right matters: in bipolar disorder, an antidepressant alone can trigger mania, so treatment starts with a mood stabilizer.
Engineers, nurses, and shift workers
The Valley's economy runs around the clock. Semiconductor techs at Intel and TSMC, nurses on twelve-hour shifts, Sky Harbor crews, and warehouse workers on overnight schedules all face sleep disruption that can mimic or worsen depression, anxiety, and ADHD. Tell your provider about your schedule so the evaluation and plan reflect your real life.
Students and young adults
Arizona State University students at the downtown Phoenix and Tempe campuses, plus Grand Canyon University and Maricopa community college students, often seek help in their first years away from home. We see students and teens 15 and older, and your evaluation is confidential.
Snowbirds and part-year residents
If you spend winters in Scottsdale or Mesa and summers elsewhere, let your provider know. Your plan can account for travel, and we can help you think through how follow-up will work while you are away.
Bring someone you trust
A spouse, parent, or friend is welcome for part of the visit. People close to you often spot changes you cannot, like a shorter temper or more nights awake. You choose what they hear, and you always get private time with your provider.
After the evaluation
You will hear your provider's working diagnosis in plain language and leave with a plan. It may include starting a medicine with medication management, labs, records from past care, or GeneSight testing when earlier medicines have not helped.
Choose a location
Come to our offices at 2 N Central Ave in downtown Phoenix, 7150 E Camelback Rd in Scottsdale, and 2266 S Dobson Rd in Mesa. Patients come from Tempe, Chandler, Gilbert, Glendale, Peoria, Paradise Valley, and across the Valley. No referral is needed to become a patient.
Why Choose Rise Higher Psychiatry and Mental Health?
- Now accepting new patients across the Phoenix metro and all of Arizona - 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