If you have been on the same medication for years without feeling better, if your diagnosis has never quite explained your experience, or if no one has ever taken your full history — asking for a second opinion is not disloyalty to your current physician. It is ordinary medical practice, and it is often where the answer comes from.
When a second opinion is worth the appointment
- You have tried two or more medications without meaningful improvement.
- Your diagnosis has changed several times, or has never been explained to you clearly.
- You were diagnosed quickly, in a short appointment, and it has never sat right.
- Side effects are costing you more than the treatment is giving back.
- Nobody has reviewed your medical history, your labs or your other medications alongside the psychiatric picture.
- You are being treated for depression but have had periods that, in retrospect, may not have been ordinary good moods.
- You want to understand your own treatment before agreeing to the next step.
What the review covers
A second opinion at Tentie is a full evaluation, not a document review. Dr. Torrijos takes the complete history himself and then reads it against what has already been tried:
- The medication timeline. Every trial, its dose, its duration, the response and the side effects. Many “treatment-resistant” cases turn out to be a series of trials that were never adequate in dose or long enough in duration.
- The diagnostic reasoning. Whether the presenting picture actually fits the working diagnosis, and what else it could be.
- Medical contributors. Thyroid, B12 and iron, sleep apnea, chronic pain, hormonal change, and the psychiatric side effects of non-psychiatric medications.
- Substances and sleep. Including alcohol, cannabis and stimulant use patterns that routinely go unrecorded.
What you receive
A clear diagnostic impression and a set of recommendations, explained to you directly and provided in writing. What you do with it is entirely your decision: return to your current physician with it, transfer your care to Tentie, or simply keep it while you think.
A second opinion here carries no obligation to switch providers, and Dr. Torrijos will communicate with your current psychiatrist with your written consent if that is what you want.
What to bring
As much of your history as you can gather: previous psychiatric records, a medication list including past trials and doses, recent laboratory results, and the names of the clinicians involved in your care. If you cannot get records, come anyway — the history is reconstructed with you in the appointment.
This service
| Length | Up to 90 min |
| Fee | [$XXX] |
| Format | In person or video |
| You receive | Written impression |
| Obligation | None |
Related
Frequently asked
Will my current psychiatrist find out?
Only if you want them to. No information is shared with any other clinician without your written authorisation.
Do I have to switch to Tentie afterwards?
No. Many patients take the written impression back to their existing physician and continue care there. The point of a second opinion is information, not recruitment.
What if you agree with my current diagnosis?
That is a legitimate and useful outcome. Confirmation from an independent assessment, with the reasoning explained, is worth having — and it often makes the existing treatment easier to commit to.
Can this be done by telehealth?
Yes, anywhere in Texas.
What does it cost?
A second opinion is billed as an initial evaluation, [$XXX] for up to 90 minutes. All fees are published.