BrainHealth Solutions provides psychiatrist-led medication management to Irvine patients from our Costa Mesa clinic beside John Wayne Airport, for depression, anxiety, OCD, ADHD, bipolar disorder and PTSD, with TMS, SAINT® and Spravato® available when medication alone is not enough.
Medication management is a prescriber’s ongoing oversight of your psychiatric medication: choosing the drug and dose, tracking symptoms and side effects, checking interactions with your other prescriptions and adjusting as you change. At BrainHealth Solutions it is done by psychiatrists. The practice is led by Dr. Robert Bota, who served as Director of the Medical Psychiatry Unit at UC Irvine and whose clinical focus is the overlap between psychiatric illness and medical conditions, so Irvine patients juggling several prescriptions get a careful interaction review as a matter of routine.
Care begins with a full psychiatric evaluation, not a quick refill visit. Your history, past medication trials, medical conditions, sleep, substance use and goals are reviewed before anything is prescribed.
Medication choices weigh metabolism, dose timing, interactions and side-effect burden. Patients describe Dr. Bota as "not just a medicating doctor"; one credits him with identifying a periodic limb movement disorder others had missed.
Medication is one tool here, not the only one. If two or more trials have failed, the same team can offer TMS, SAINT® or Spravato® without sending you elsewhere.
Your care is provided by board-certified psychiatrists: Dr. Robert Bota, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at UC Riverside, founder of UC Irvine’s first TMS program and author of more than 60 peer-reviewed publications; Dr. Tina Allee, experienced in comprehensive psychiatric care and medication management; and Dr. Mahtab K. Yousefi, who treats children and teens in English and Farsi. Every visit takes place at BrainHealth Solutions’ single office, 3151 Airway Ave, Bldg R, Costa Mesa, CA 92626, on the Irvine border about 10 to 20 minutes from most Irvine neighborhoods.
Leave your name, contact information and a callback time. The team explains how the practice works and books your evaluation; same-day appointments may be available.
A thorough assessment of your medical history, current symptoms and medications at the Costa Mesa clinic, used to build a personalized plan instead of a default prescription.
Your psychiatrist chooses medication that targets your specific symptoms while weighing your overall health and interactions, including metabolism, dose timing and side effects.
Regular follow-ups track improvement and side effects. Reporting changes promptly lets your dose or medication be fine-tuned instead of waiting months for the next review.
If medication alone is not working, your psychiatrist can add psychotherapy, TMS, SAINT® or Spravato® within the same practice.
Your first evaluation is longer than later visits and feels like a conversation. You will be asked what has and has not helped, how side effects affected you, and what you want to be different day to day.
During a medication change, follow-ups are usually every few weeks, then spaced out once you are stable. Lab work is ordered when a medication calls for it, such as lithium or certain mood stabilizers.
Follow-up visits are shorter, so Irvine patients who work nearby often schedule them around the workday within the clinic’s hours, Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Bring a complete list of your medications, including those from other doctors, to every visit.
Typical medication management scheduling at BrainHealth Solutions:
Every psychiatric medication has side effects, and side effects left unmanaged are the most common reason people stop treatment. Managing them is part of the work, not an afterthought.
Commonly reported with antidepressants and related medications
Many of these ease within weeks or improve with a change in dose or timing; others mean a different medication is needed.
Monitored closely
If side effects persist, your psychiatrist weighs a switch against non-medication options such as TMS, which has no systemic drug effects.
Well-managed medication can substantially reduce how severe and how frequent symptoms are, improving stability and your ability to work, sleep and connect with people. Progress is judged by daily function, not only by a rating scale.
About a third of people with depression do not respond adequately to two medication trials. At BrainHealth Solutions that is a reason to consider TMS, SAINT® or Spravato®, rather than automatically trying a fifth antidepressant.
Psychiatrist-led medication management is a fit for Irvine adults, teens and children who:
If two or more antidepressants have already failed, ask about TMS and SAINT® on your screening call; one evaluation can cover both paths.
Related services from the same team
Irvine families come to BrainHealth Solutions for a psychiatrist who listens. One long-term patient said the team is “attentive in our meetings and offer great insight on my personal goals”; another said ADHD treatment changed life “significantly” within a year.
Carefully adjusted medication reduces how often and how severely symptoms appear, with progress measured in mood, sleep, focus and function.
Attention to metabolism, dose timing and interactions means problems are caught early rather than tolerated.
Dr. Bota’s background directing UC Irvine’s Medical Psychiatry Unit makes interaction analysis a standard part of every plan.
Dr. Mahtab K. Yousefi provides child and adolescent psychiatric care, combining psychodynamic training with evidence-based treatment, in English and Farsi.
If medication fails, TMS, SAINT® and Spravato® are available in the same practice, with the same records and clinicians.
The clinic borders Irvine, about 10 to 20 minutes from most of the city, which keeps regular follow-ups easy to keep.
If you have tried several medications for depression, anxiety or OCD and are still not well, medication management at BrainHealth Solutions includes an honest look at whether another trial is likely to help. When it is not, Dr. Bota’s team offers FDA-cleared TMS and SAINT® and FDA-approved Spravato®, so you decide with every option in view.
At the BrainHealth Solutions clinic, medication management typically ranges from $150 to $500 per session without insurance. Where a visit falls in that range depends on the complexity of your case, how long the appointment is and your treatment plan; initial evaluations are longer than follow-ups. With insurance, patients usually pay a specialist copay or coinsurance per visit. Many plans are accepted, including Medicare and Anthem, and CareCredit is available for self-pay. We quote only after reviewing your benefits.
Insurance and financing
BrainHealth Solutions accepts insurance and self-pay. Many major plans are accepted, including Medicare and Anthem, and CareCredit financing spreads self-pay costs over monthly payments. Submit your plan through the insurance-check form on our site, or ask on your 15-minute screening call, and our team confirms what your plan covers before you commit to anything.
Dr. Robert Bota, MD, MSG, DFAPA is a board-certified psychiatrist and Distinguished Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He trained in TMS at Harvard University and the University of South Carolina, founded and directed the first TMS program at UC Irvine, and has authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications.
Dr. Bota has been principal investigator on more than 20 clinical trials in depression, schizophrenia, PTSD and Alzheimer’s disease, and the practice participates in brain-imaging research with Kernel neurotechnology. Treatment plans are informed by that research and reviewed as your symptoms change.
Care at BrainHealth Solutions is delivered by a team that includes psychiatrists Dr. Tina Allee and Dr. Mahtab K. Yousefi (child and adolescent care in English and Farsi), Spravato® specialist Dr. Dragos Serseni, TMS technician Anna Venezio and office manager Peter Bota.
Many plans are accepted, including Medicare and Anthem, and CareCredit financing is available for self-pay. One parent wrote that the team “even helped get insurance coverage when others said it wasn’t possible.” Use the insurance check on our site or ask on your screening call.
No. BrainHealth Solutions has one office, at 3151 Airway Ave, Bldg R, Costa Mesa, next to John Wayne Airport on the Irvine border. Irvine patients are seen there, usually about 10 to 20 minutes from home or work.
Usually every few weeks while a medication is being started or adjusted, then less often once you are stable. Because the clinic is close to Irvine, most patients fit follow-ups into a weekday without taking a full day off.
Yes. Dr. Mahtab K. Yousefi provides psychiatric care for children and adolescents in English and Farsi at the Costa Mesa clinic.
Yes. Prescribing and adjusting psychiatric medication is a core part of psychiatry. At BrainHealth Solutions, all medication management is provided by psychiatrists, not by a separate prescriber you never meet.
At BrainHealth Solutions, self-pay medication management typically ranges from $150 to $500 per session, depending on complexity and appointment length. With insurance you usually pay a specialist copay. We confirm your benefits before your first visit.
It is the ongoing, psychiatrist-led process of choosing, dosing, monitoring and adjusting psychiatric medication, including side-effect management and interaction checks with your other prescriptions.
Two or more failed antidepressant trials usually meet insurance criteria for TMS and Spravato®. Your psychiatrist can evaluate you for both at the same visit.
Schedule a 15-minute screening call and get psychiatrist-led medication management a short drive from Irvine, with every advanced option available if you need it.
BrainHealth Solutions, 3151 Airway Ave, Bldg R, Costa Mesa, CA 92626 · (949) 441-5542 · Monday to Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM. Same-day appointments may be available. The screening call asks only for your name, contact information and a callback time; there are no long intake forms before you speak with us.
