An independent review of a diagnosis you already have and the medication you are already on — what it is treating, whether the dose is right, and whether the combination still makes sense.
Psychiatric treatment accumulates. A drug is added during a bad month and never stopped. A dose goes up and never comes down. A diagnosis made in one difficult fortnight follows someone for a decade without anyone revisiting whether it still fits. None of this reflects poor care — it reflects appointments that are too short to review anything properly.
A second opinion is an hour set aside to do only that. It is not an invitation to criticise the treating doctor, and in a good number of cases the conclusion is that the current treatment is correct and should continue — which is itself worth knowing if you have been quietly doubting it.
Sixty minutes, which is roughly four times a standard follow-up. That length is the point — a medication history cannot be reconstructed in twelve minutes.
Every psychiatric drug you have taken, in what order, at what dose, and what happened on each. Photos of old prescriptions are enough — you do not need to have kept records.
Not reading the previous diagnosis and working forwards from it, which is how errors get inherited. The history is taken fresh and the earlier conclusion tested against it.
Thyroid, B12, metabolic and, for anyone on lithium or valproate, drug levels and organ function. A surprising number of long-term patients have never had these done.
Most people take the summary back to their existing psychiatrist and continue there. That is the intended outcome, and it is why the summary is written for a clinical reader rather than as a sales document.
If you would rather transfer care, that is straightforward and can start at the same appointment. If a medication change is agreed, tapering plans are written out with dates rather than left as general advice — stopping psychiatric medication abruptly is the most common cause of an avoidable relapse.
Photographs on your phone are fine. Boxes are better. If you have blood test reports from the last two years, bring those too. The single biggest limit on how useful this hour can be is how much of the treatment history is available in it.
Priced above the first evaluation because it involves reviewing someone else's clinical reasoning. Written summary included.
No, it is your decision and your record. Most doctors are entirely comfortable with a patient seeking a second opinion, and many welcome the written summary. But nothing is sent to anyone without your written consent.
Yes, where it is clinically reasonable. Coming off psychiatric medication safely needs a tapering schedule matched to the specific drug and how long you have taken it, plus a plan for what to watch for. It is not something to attempt from an internet schedule.
Then you have paid ₹1,500 to stop wondering, which for many people is the most valuable outcome available. Doubt about whether your treatment is right is itself corrosive, and it is a common reason people stop taking medication that was working.
Yes, and most second opinions are. Photograph your prescriptions and reports beforehand and have them open during the call. The only exception is where a change to a restricted medication is being considered, which needs an in-person appointment.
Diagnosed but unconvinced
Long-term medication monitoring
Medication review after seventy
Call Tele-MANAS 14416 — free, 24 hours. If someone is in immediate danger, call 112.