Yes. Lyte Psychiatry sees Pasadena patients by secure video from home, before or after a plant shift, in English or Spanish. Most new patients are seen within 1–2 business days. Insured patients usually pay a $0–$30 copay per visit; a self-pay psychiatric evaluation is $250.
Who is this Pasadena page for?
You work rotating shifts at one of the refineries or chemical plants along the Ship Channel and SH-225, or you are married to someone who does. Your days off do not line up with a clinic that opens at 8 and closes at 5, and by the time you find a psychiatrist in Houston who takes your plan, the first opening is six weeks out. Or you are a parent on the north side near Spencer Highway with a Pasadena ISD student who has stopped sleeping and stopped talking, and the school counselor has told you to find a psychiatrist. You would rather do the whole thing in Spanish.
Pasadena has a hospital, HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast, and the central campus of San Jacinto College on Spencer Highway. The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD is the public mental health authority for Harris County and serves people without coverage first, so an insured plant worker or a Pasadena ISD employee with a TRS plan usually waits behind that line. If you have insurance or can pay $250, we can see you this week by video, in the language you prefer, at a time that fits a shift schedule.
What can Lyte treat for Pasadena patients online?
Psychiatric evaluation and medication management for adults, teens, and children. Therapy with licensed professional counselors using CBT, solution-focused, and trauma-focused work. Combined care, meaning your prescriber and your therapist write in one chart and can see each other's notes. ADHD evaluation and treatment for adults and teens, with stimulant and non-stimulant options.
Conditions we treat: depression, anxiety, panic, social anxiety, PTSD and trauma, OCD, bipolar disorder, ADHD, insomnia, postpartum and perinatal mood problems, grief, and stress and burnout. Dr. Akintola is a licensed Suboxone prescriber for opioid use disorder. We write clinical letters for school and work on request, including fitness-for-duty letters for plant employers.
Mode: video only for Pasadena. There is no Lyte office in Pasadena or anywhere in Harris County, and our one physical clinic is in Pantego, in the Arlington area, roughly 250 miles up I-45 and I-20. We will not pretend that is a reasonable drive from the Ship Channel. You see the same provider on every video visit, and any prescription goes to your Pasadena pharmacy that day.
If you are starting a stimulant for ADHD, our policy is that the first evaluation happens in person at our Pantego clinic; follow-ups can be by video. Non-stimulant ADHD medication and everything else can start by video. For a Pasadena patient that usually means starting a non-stimulant ADHD medication by video instead, which works well for many adults and teens. We will tell you at the first visit whether it fits your case. Video visits are available in Spanish; ask when you book.
A first video visit runs about an hour. If you work a plant rotation, tell us your schedule when you book and we will find a slot on your days off or around your shift. If you want therapy too, you can book the first counselor session before you log off, and the counselor reads the same chart.
Learn how therapy and psychiatry work together when both are part of your care plan.
What the numbers say about Pasadena
Pasadena adults report more depression and more mental distress than Texas as a whole. CDC PLACES (BRFSS 2023) puts diagnosed depression among Pasadena adults at 20.7%, against 19.7% for Texas and 21.8% for the U.S. Frequent mental distress, defined as 14 or more poor mental health days in a month, is 17.8% in Pasadena, against 16.1% for Texas and 15.4% for the U.S. Pasadena (Harris County) has 111,088 adults per the same release, so the distress figure alone works out to roughly 20,000 people.
| Measure | Pasadena | Texas | U.S. | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults diagnosed with depression | 20.7% | 19.7% | 21.8% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress (14+ bad days/month) | 17.8% | 16.1% | 15.4% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Adult population, Pasadena (Harris County) | 111,088 | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
The depression and frequent mental distress figures are model-based estimates. Read the CDC PLACES methodology for the survey years, population basis, and estimation limits.
How much does an online psychiatrist cost in Pasadena with insurance?
In network: BlueCross BlueShield of Texas, UnitedHealthcare and Optum, Cigna and Evernorth, Aetna, Humana, Ambetter, Medicare, Tricare, and more (see the full list). Benefits are verified before the first visit. Most insured patients pay a $0–$30 copay per visit.
| Visit | Self-pay |
|---|---|
| Psychiatric evaluation (new patient) | $250 |
| Medication follow-up | $150 |
| Therapy, first session | $150 |
| Therapy, follow-up | $125 |
| QbCheck ADHD test | $150 |
| Late cancellation / no-show | $100 |
Self-pay is a flat price, and HSA and FSA cards are accepted. In Pasadena the plans we see most are the union and employer plans from the refineries and chemical plants, which usually run on BCBS TX, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, or Cigna networks. Pasadena ISD staff are usually on a TRS-ActiveCare plan, administered by BCBS TX and in network here. If you bought an Ambetter marketplace plan as a contract or hourly worker, we take that too. Medicare covers our visits for retirees on the older south side near Fairmont Parkway.
Who will you see at Lyte?
Dr. Akinwande Akintola, MD, is our medical director and supervisory psychiatrist, board-certified in Adult Psychiatry and in Child & Adolescent Psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. He trained at Johns Hopkins, stayed on faculty there, and moved to Texas in 2012. Toyin Awe, PMHNP-BC, is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with 12 or more years of experience. Therapy is with NaTascha Jones, LPC, and Prishina Jimenez, LPC. Lyte has served 3,000+ patients with a 4.9-star average from 200+ Google reviews.
Your questions, answered
Frequently asked questions from Pasadena patients
Can I get a psychiatry appointment online from Pasadena this week?
Yes. Most new Pasadena patients are seen by secure video within 1–2 business days. You book online at any hour, so a plant worker coming off a night shift on SH-225 can book at 6 a.m. without waiting for a front desk to open.
Is there a Lyte office in Pasadena, or anywhere near the Ship Channel?
No. There is no Lyte office in Pasadena, Deer Park, or anywhere in Harris County. Our only clinic is in Pantego, in the Arlington area, about 250 miles from Pasadena by I-45 and I-20, so every Pasadena visit is by video. You do not drive anywhere, and you do not fight Beltway 8 or the 610 loop to see us.
Can I see a psychiatrist in Spanish from Pasadena?
Yes. Video visits are available in Spanish; ask when you book. Much of Pasadena speaks Spanish at home, and a parent should not have to translate a psychiatric evaluation for their own child or their own spouse. Tell us your preferred language when you book and we will schedule you with the right clinician.
How much will I pay in Pasadena with insurance versus without?
With an in-network plan such as BCBS TX, UnitedHealthcare, Aetna, Cigna, or Ambetter, most Pasadena patients pay a $0–$30 copay per visit. Without insurance, a new-patient psychiatric evaluation is $250, a medication follow-up is $150, and a first therapy session is $150. A Pasadena ISD employee on TRS-ActiveCare is in network here through BCBS TX.
I work rotating shifts at a refinery on the Ship Channel. Can you schedule around that?
Yes. We schedule plant and refinery workers from Pasadena and Deer Park around rotating schedules, and we will book your visits on your days off or around your shift. Take the video visit from home on a day off or between shifts. If your employer needs a fitness-for-duty or return-to-work letter, we write those on request.
My child is in Pasadena ISD. Can a child psychiatrist see them by video?
Yes. Dr. Akintola is board-certified in child and adolescent psychiatry, and we see Pasadena ISD students by video with a parent in the room, usually within 1–2 business days, in English or Spanish. We write letters for school accommodations on request. If your child needs a stimulant for ADHD, the first evaluation has to be in person at our Pantego clinic, so ask about the non-stimulant route by video first.
Is the Harris Center a faster option for a Pasadena resident?
The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD is the public mental health authority for Harris County and prioritizes residents without insurance, which is the right call for that mission. If you have a commercial plan, Medicare, Tricare, or a marketplace plan, or can pay $250, you will usually be seen here within 1–2 business days by video, and nothing about that affects your place at the Harris Center if you already have one.
Nearby areas we also serve
Explore care across Greater Houston & Gulf Coast or all Texas locations.
We also see patients from Houston, Pearland, League City, Baytown, and Humble and Kingwood.
Free and low-cost mental health resources in Pasadena
The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD is the public mental health authority for Harris County and serves residents without insurance. Call or text 988 any time for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, in English or Spanish. HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast has an emergency department in Pasadena for a crisis that cannot wait for an appointment, and San Jacinto College students can start with the counseling services on their campus.
Book a video visit at book.lytepsych.com and we will verify your benefits before you are seen. Or call 469-733-0848.
Find the public mental health authority for your county through the Texas HHS local authority directory.