Specialty Psychiatric Services • New Jersey: in-person evaluations + in-person or telehealth follow-ups • Florida: telehealth
Adolescent Psychiatry & Psychiatric Evaluation
Careful evaluation when mood, attention, anxiety, and school pressure overlap in the teen years at ADHD, Mood & Behavior Center
Dr. Merritt Hubsher provides psychiatric evaluation and medication management for teens with concerns about mood, attention, anxiety, behavior, sleep, or school. Each evaluation includes both parents and your teen, and looks at how the pieces connect instead of one symptom at a time.
The adolescent evaluation at a glance
A first visit is a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation that includes both parents and teen.
Every first visit is a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation to ensure treatment is thoughtful and accurate.
When an Evaluation May Be Appropriate
Teens don’t always say what’s wrong, and parents often notice changes before anyone can name them. Here’s what tends to prompt a call:
Mood that has shifted
Ongoing irritability, sadness, withdrawal, or mood swings that last longer than a rough patch.
Attention and organization
Trouble keeping up with demands that used to be manageable.
Strain at home or with friends
Conflict, pulling away, or a sense that your teen isn’t themselves.
Anxiety and school pressure
Worry that grows with the workload, avoidance, or perfectionism that crowds out everything else.
Sleep that’s off
Changes in sleep that seem tied to mood, school, or focus.
Treatment that hasn’t helped
Earlier care or medication hasn’t brought the results you hoped for.
Concerns Dr. Hubsher Evaluates in Teens
Teens rarely come in with just one concern. Schedules, workload, social pressure, and development all shift at once, so Dr. Hubsher looks at how the pieces connect.
These concerns can look alike on the surface, which is why Dr. Hubsher weighs them against your teen’s full history instead of any one symptom.
These concerns can look alike on the surface, which is why Dr. Hubsher weighs them against your teen’s full history instead of any one symptom.
How Dr. Hubsher Evaluates a Teen Across Settings
A teen can seem fine with friends but struggle at home, or do well in class while spending enormous effort to keep anxiety or attention problems under control. He also asks how long changes have lasted and how they differ from your teen’s usual self. Earlier testing and school records are welcome but generally not required.
Dr. Hubsher looks across
Time alone with the parents
Time with your teen
A conversation together or with the parents privately
Clear feedback on findings and recommendations for next steps that fit your teen
How the First Visit Works
Everyone has room to share concerns, give background, and ask questions. The visit typically runs in four parts:
Medication and Prior Treatment Response
If earlier treatment hasn’t brought clear answers, that history is part of the evaluation: what was tried, how your teen responded, and what side effects came up. A list of past and current medications helps if you have one. When Dr. Hubsher recommends medication, he explains what he’s suggesting and why. Follow-up visits then track:
Follow-up visits track
Recommendations may include
Family, Therapists, and Other Providers
Depending on what the evaluation shows, recommendations may include therapy with one of the Center’s therapists, further testing, or school supports. Therapy and coaching are provided by the Center’s therapists, not by Dr. Hubsher. With permission, he can coordinate with your teen’s school or other clinicians.
Related Services
Considering an Evaluation for Your Teen?
You don’t need to know whether it’s ADHD, anxiety, depression, or something else before reaching out. If you’ve been watching your teen struggle and wondering what’s behind it, the front desk will confirm the right starting service and go over the new-patient paperwork.