Psychiatric Evaluations in Fayetteville at Sandhills Psychiatry and Mental Health

Built for a military town

Fayetteville is home to Fort Bragg and one of the largest military communities in the world. That shapes what we see at our Hay Street office: soldiers home from deployment who cannot sleep, spouses holding families together through yet another move, veterans who have carried symptoms for decades, and teens who have changed schools four times. A psychiatric evaluation takes all of that into account.

A civilian practice

We are a civilian practice. We do not share your records with your command, your unit, or the VA without your written permission. Some service members have their own reporting duties depending on their role, and your provider can talk through how that works for you before you share anything you are worried about.

What the evaluation covers

Your provider will ask about the symptoms that brought you in, when they started, and how they affect work, home, and sleep. They will review your medical history, including any head injuries or blast exposure, every medicine and supplement, and alcohol, nicotine, energy drinks, and other substance use. Family history matters too.

Measuring symptoms

Short questionnaires like the PHQ-9 for depression and the GAD-7 for anxiety create a baseline. When physical causes are possible, such as thyroid disease, sleep apnea, chronic pain, or the effects of a traumatic brain injury, your provider may order labs or coordinate with your doctor at Cape Fear Valley or elsewhere.

Trauma and PTSD

Combat, training accidents, military sexual trauma, and the loss of friends leave marks. So do assaults, car crashes on the All American Freeway, and childhood abuse. Hurricanes Matthew in 2016 and Florence in 2018 flooded neighborhoods along the Cape Fear River and Cross Creek. Post-traumatic stress disorder can show up as nightmares, flashbacks, anger, hypervigilance, or avoiding reminders. Your provider screens with care, often using the PCL-5, and you decide what to share.

Traumatic brain injury

Many soldiers and veterans have had concussions from blasts, training, jumps, or vehicle accidents. Brain injuries can cause headaches, irritability, memory problems, and poor sleep that overlap with PTSD and depression. Your provider will ask about head injuries and consider them in your diagnosis.

Bipolar disorder

Your provider will ask about periods of unusually high energy, very little sleep, racing thoughts, impulsive spending, or risky behavior. This matters because in bipolar disorder an antidepressant alone can trigger mania, while mood stabilizers protect against it.

Military spouses

Spouses face frequent moves, deployments, solo parenting, and career interruptions. Depression and anxiety are common and treatable. Your evaluation is about you, not your service member's career.

Veterans

Many veterans settle in Fayetteville, Hope Mills, Spring Lake, and Raeford after retiring. Some have never had a full civilian evaluation. We can coordinate with your VA providers with your permission.

Students and teens

Fayetteville State, Methodist University, and Fayetteville Tech students are welcome, along with teens 15 and older, including military kids adjusting to new schools.

Bring someone along

A spouse or close friend can join part of the visit. They often notice changes you miss, like more anger or less sleep. You decide what they hear, and you always get time alone with your provider.

Moral injury and grief

Some service members carry guilt or shame about things they saw, did, or could not stop. Others are grieving friends lost in combat, training, or to suicide. These are heavy loads, and your provider will make room for them in the conversation.

Your plan

You will leave with your provider's working diagnosis in plain language and a plan. That may include medicine with medication management, labs, or GeneSight testing if several medicines have failed.

Downtown on Hay Street

We are at 109 Hay St, near the Market House in downtown Fayetteville, convenient from Fort Bragg, Haymount, Hope Mills, and the Sandhills. No referral is needed to become a patient.