GP Mental Health Assessment vs. Specialist Psychiatric Consultation
Global Health offers two levels of mental health care.
GP mental health assessment — appropriate for initial screening of anxiety, mild to moderate depression, stress, and burnout. The GP conducts a structured assessment, provides clinical recommendations at GP level, and refers to psychiatry where indicated. The right starting point for most initial mental health concerns.
Specialist psychiatric consultation — conducted by Global Health's specialist psychiatrists. Appropriate for:
- Formal diagnosis of complex mental health disorders
- Conditions that have not responded to GP-level treatment
- Bipolar disorder — assessment, diagnosis, and specialist treatment plan
- Adult ADHD — formal diagnostic assessment and treatment
- Treatment-resistant depression
- Complex or refractory anxiety disorders
- Eating disorders — psychiatric assessment and treatment plan coordination
- Psychiatric assessment for clinical, occupational, or medico-legal reports
- Specialist psychiatric second opinion
Not sure which level of support is right for you? Start with the GP mental health assessment — if your presentation requires specialist psychiatric input, your GP refers you directly to this service within the same platform.
Who This Service Is For
This specialist psychiatric consultation is appropriate for adults with:
- Moderate to severe depression — particularly treatment-resistant, melancholic, or atypical depression
- Bipolar disorder — diagnostic assessment, treatment plan review, or second opinion
- Complex anxiety disorders — panic disorder, OCD, severe social anxiety, PTSD
- Adult ADHD — formal diagnostic assessment, treatment initiation, or review
- Personality spectrum disorders — assessment and care plan guidance
- Eating disorders — psychiatric assessment and treatment plan coordination
- Severe chronic insomnia — when the cause is psychiatric or treatment has failed at GP level
- Mental health conditions that have not responded to GP-level treatment
- Psychiatric assessment for occupational, disability, or medico-legal reports
- Specialist psychiatric second opinion — on a diagnosis, treatment plan, or medication received from another psychiatrist
- International residents and expats who need specialist psychiatric care in English or Portuguese
What This Service Is — And What It Is Not
This specialist psychiatric consultation is appropriate for:
- Formal psychiatric diagnosis of complex disorders
- Specialist psychiatric pharmacological treatment assessment and planning — at the specialist's discretion
- Psychopharmacological therapy and ongoing psychiatric follow-up
- Assessment for clinical, occupational, or medico-legal reports
- Specialist psychiatric second opinion
- Coordination with clinical psychology, social work, and other services where indicated
This service is not appropriate for:
- Crisis intervention — if you are in crisis, use the resources at the top of this page
- Psychiatric admission — involuntary admission is regulated by Article 763 of the Spanish Civil Procedure Act and requires judicial authorisation. It cannot be initiated or coordinated through this service
- Assessment of acute severe psychosis — where patient safety requires urgent in-person assessment
- Psychotherapy or psychological therapy — this is a medical psychiatric assessment and treatment service, not a psychotherapy service
Not sure whether you need psychiatry or psychology? Psychiatry is a medical specialty — the psychiatrist assesses, diagnoses, and can prescribe psychiatric medication. The clinical psychologist provides psychotherapy. For many conditions, both work together. Your psychiatrist advises on the most appropriate level of support and can guide you on the type of psychotherapy best suited to your condition.
Conditions Commonly Assessed
Mood disorders
- Major depressive disorder — including treatment-resistant, melancholic, and atypical depression
- Bipolar depression — differential diagnosis and specialist treatment plan
- Bipolar disorder type I and type II — diagnostic assessment, stabilisation, and follow-up
- Cyclothymic disorder
- Dysthymia / persistent depressive disorder
Anxiety disorders
- Panic disorder — with and without agoraphobia
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
- Social anxiety disorder — severe or refractory presentations
- Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Treatment-resistant generalised anxiety disorder
- Specific phobia with significant functional impact
Adult ADHD
- Formal diagnostic assessment of ADHD in adults
- ADHD with comorbidities — anxiety, depression, sleep disorders
- Initiation, adjustment, and review of ADHD pharmacological treatment
- Previously undiagnosed childhood ADHD — adult assessment
Personality spectrum disorders
- Formal diagnostic assessment of personality disorders
- Borderline personality disorder — assessment and care plan guidance
- Narcissistic, avoidant, dependent, and other personality disorders
Eating disorders
- Anorexia nervosa — psychiatric assessment and treatment plan coordination
- Bulimia nervosa — assessment and treatment plan
- Binge eating disorder — assessment and management
Note: severe eating disorders requiring urgent medical nutritional intervention or inpatient admission require in-person assessment. Your psychiatrist assesses severity and advises on the appropriate level of care.
Psychotic disorders — limited assessment
- Assessment of mild or stably remitted psychotic symptoms
- Second opinion on diagnosis of schizophrenia or other psychotic disorders in stable patients
- Antipsychotic medication review in stable patients with known psychosis
Acute psychotic episodes require urgent in-person assessment. This service is not appropriate for the assessment of acute severe psychosis — call 112 or go to the emergency department immediately.
Sleep disorders
- Severe chronic insomnia — psychiatric assessment and treatment plan
- Sleep disorders with significant psychiatric basis
Psychiatric assessments for reports
- Psychiatric reports for temporary or permanent occupational disability
- Reports for medico-legal processes — at the specialist's discretion
- Mental health assessments for administrative purposes
What Your Consultation Includes
Complete specialist psychiatric assessment
Your psychiatrist conducts a structured and comprehensive psychiatric assessment — covering your detailed psychiatric history, previous episodes, previous treatments and their response, family history of mental health conditions, current life situation, occupational and social functioning, substance use, and mental state at the time of the consultation.
Formal psychiatric diagnosis
Where the assessment allows, your psychiatrist establishes a formal psychiatric diagnosis based on current international diagnostic criteria — DSM-5-TR or ICD-11 — clearly explained with the clinical reasoning behind it.
Specialist treatment plan
Based on the assessment and diagnosis, your psychiatrist designs a specialist treatment plan — which may include psychotherapy recommendations and guidance on the most appropriate approach for your condition, psychiatric pharmacological treatment options at the specialist's discretion, coordination with clinical psychology or other services where indicated, and structured psychiatric follow-up.
Specialist clinical documentation — at the specialist's discretion
When clinically indicated, your psychiatrist issues appropriate clinical documentation.
Note on benzodiazepines and controlled psychiatric medications: benzodiazepines and certain psychiatric medications are controlled substances in Spain with specific prescribing requirements. Your psychiatrist advises during the consultation on the options available and any applicable limitations.
Safety assessment
Every psychiatric consultation includes a structured safety assessment — conducted with sensitivity as a standard component of specialist care.
Ongoing psychiatric follow-up
Psychiatric treatment is a long-term process. Specialist follow-up consultations are available to monitor treatment response, adjust medication where needed, and provide the clinical continuity that quality psychiatric care requires.
Accessing Psychiatry in Spain — The Reality
Public psychiatry in Spain is under significant pressure — waiting times for a first SNS psychiatrist appointment are measured in months in most autonomous communities. Private in-person psychiatry in Spain is expensive and concentrated in major cities.
For international residents who need specialist psychiatry in English or Portuguese, options are practically non-existent outside Madrid and Barcelona — and even there, availability is very limited.
This service provides access to specialist psychiatry by video call — same day — from anywhere in Spain. For patients who most need psychiatric support, removing the access barrier matters.
Confidentiality in Psychiatric Care
Everything discussed during your psychiatric consultation is confidential and protected under Spanish and European data protection law — including Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (GDPR) implemented through Organic Law 3/2018 (LOPDGDD) and Law 41/2002 on patient autonomy.
Mental health data has reinforced protection as a special category of data under the GDPR.
There are two circumstances in which confidentiality may need to be carefully considered — when there is serious and immediate risk to your life or safety, or when there is serious risk to the safety of another person. Your psychiatrist discusses confidentiality with you at the outset of the consultation.
