Yes. Lyte Psychiatry sees McAllen and Hidalgo County patients by secure video, in English or Spanish, with no drive out of the Valley. Most new patients are seen within 1–2 business days. With an in-network plan such as BCBS TX or Humana you usually pay a $0–$30 copay per visit, and a self-pay psychiatric evaluation is $250.
Who is this McAllen page for?
The first week of school at McAllen ISD, a fourth-grade teacher on TRS-ActiveCare calls the two psychiatry offices near 10th Street and Nolana that show up in her BCBS TX directory and leaves a voicemail at each. She has taught in this district for nine years and has never had to make this call before. This page is written for her.
It is also written for the respiratory therapist at DHR Health, working nights on the Edinburg campus, whose sleep fell apart after a schedule change and who would rather see someone from a phone in the parking lot at 7:30 a.m. than take a day off. And for the South Texas College student on the Pecan campus whose parents want to sit in on the visit and want it in Spanish.
McAllen is the retail and medical center of the Rio Grande Valley, and it still does not have enough psychiatrists. UTRGV trains new ones at its School of Medicine in Edinburg, a few miles up US-281, and Tropical Texas Behavioral Health, the public mental health authority for Hidalgo County, serves residents without insurance first. A family with a commercial plan, Medicare, or a Humana Medicare Advantage card still has to find a private practice with an open slot, and those are few. With a plan we take, or $250, we can usually see you this week.
What can Lyte treat for McAllen patients by video?
Psychiatric evaluation and medication management for adults, teens, and children. Dr. Akintola is board-certified in child and adolescent psychiatry, so a McAllen ISD or Sharyland ISD student can be evaluated by video with a parent in the room. Therapy with licensed professional counselors using CBT, solution-focused, and trauma-focused approaches. Combined care, with the prescriber and the counselor writing in one chart. ADHD evaluation and treatment for adults and teens.
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. Clinical letters for a school, an employer, or a licensing board are written on request.
Video visits are available in Spanish; ask when you book. Tell the scheduler your preference in either language and the visit will be in that language from the first minute.
The mode is video only. Our one physical clinic is in Pantego, inside Arlington, about 500 miles north of McAllen on US-281 and I-35, and no one in Hidalgo County should drive that for a psychiatry visit. Every visit happens by secure video from your home or your car, anywhere in Texas. You see the same provider each time, and prescriptions go electronically to your pharmacy on Expressway 83 or wherever you fill them.
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 most McAllen patients that means beginning with a non-stimulant at the first video visit, and we say so up front.
Learn how therapy and psychiatry work together when both are part of your care plan.
What the numbers say about McAllen
Texas DSHS projects the Rio Grande Valley with the highest unmet psychiatric demand in the state, 71% by 2036. That is the figure to keep in mind when a McAllen office puts you on a waiting list.
The prevalence numbers are close to the state's. CDC PLACES (BRFSS 2023) puts diagnosed depression among McAllen adults at 19.3%, a little under Edinburg next door at 20.1% and under Texas at 19.7%. Frequent mental distress, meaning 14 or more poor mental health days in a month, is 16.3% in McAllen against 17.9% in Edinburg and 16.1% statewide. McAllen has 105,543 adults in that release, so the distress figure covers roughly 17,000 people in the city alone, before you count Edinburg, Mission, and Pharr.
| Measure | McAllen | Edinburg | Texas | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults diagnosed with depression | 19.3% | 20.1% | 19.7% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Frequent mental distress (14+ bad days/month) | 16.3% | 17.9% | 16.1% | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 |
| Adult population, McAllen | 105,543 | CDC PLACES, BRFSS 2023 | ||
| Unmet psychiatric demand, Rio Grande Valley, projected 2036 | 71% | Texas DSHS |
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 McAllen with insurance?
The self-pay prices come first here because many Valley families ask for them before they ask about insurance.
| 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 |
Those are flat prices with no facility fee, and HSA and FSA cards are accepted.
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.
In McAllen the cards we expect are BCBS TX, through TRS-ActiveCare for McAllen ISD and the other Hidalgo County districts, and often on the employer plans a DHR Health or South Texas College badge comes with; check the carrier on your card. Humana is in network, and Medicare Advantage plans are common in Hidalgo County; tell us which Humana or Medicare plan is on your card and we will confirm the copay before the first visit. Ambetter marketplace plans bought during open enrollment are in network too.
Who will you see at Lyte?
Dr. Akinwande Akintola, MD, is the 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, served on its faculty, and has practiced in Texas since 2012. Toyin Awe, PMHNP-BC, is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner with 12+ years of experience. Therapy is provided by 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 McAllen patients
Can I book a psychiatrist online from McAllen this week?
Yes. Most new McAllen patients are seen by secure video within 1–2 business days, and booking is online at any hour. If a practice near 10th Street or in the DHR corridor has put you on a waiting list, you can start here now and decide later whether to keep that appointment.
Where is the nearest Lyte office to McAllen?
There is none in the Valley. Our only clinic is in Pantego, inside Arlington, about 500 miles north of McAllen by US-281 and I-35, and we do not treat that as an option for Hidalgo County patients. Every visit, from the first evaluation on, is by video from wherever you are in Texas, including a Winter Texan RV park in Mission or a break room at DHR Health.
How much does a psychiatrist cost in McAllen with BCBS TX or Humana, and without insurance?
With BCBS TX, Humana, Medicare, or another in-network plan, most McAllen patients pay a $0–$30 copay per visit, and we verify the exact amount before you are seen. Without insurance, a new-patient evaluation is $250, a medication follow-up is $150, and a first therapy session is $150. A family in north McAllen and a family in south McAllen near the Hidalgo bridge pay the same.
¿Atienden en español a pacientes de McAllen y el Valle?
Sí. Video visits are available in Spanish; ask when you book. A patient in McAllen, Pharr, Mission, or anywhere in Hidalgo County can have the whole visit in Spanish, including the first evaluation and the follow-ups, and a parent can join a teenager's visit in Spanish while the teen answers in English.
I work for McAllen ISD and have TRS-ActiveCare. Is that in network?
Yes. TRS-ActiveCare is administered by BCBS TX, which is in network with us, and most McAllen ISD employees on it pay a copay in the $0–$30 range for a psychiatry visit. Book a slot before first bell or after dismissal and take it from your classroom with the door closed, as long as you are in Texas at the time.
Tropical Texas Behavioral Health has me on a list. Can I start with Lyte while I wait?
Yes, if you have insurance or can pay the $250 self-pay evaluation. Tropical Texas is the public mental health authority for Hidalgo County and serves residents without coverage first, so an insured McAllen patient is usually seen faster in private practice. We will send our notes to Tropical Texas if you later move your care there, so nothing has to be repeated.
I am a student at South Texas College. Can I take my visit from campus?
Yes. A South Texas College student can take a video visit from a parked car at the Pecan campus or an apartment near Nolana, as long as you are inside Texas and have a private spot with a signal. If you are under 18, a parent books and joins the first visit. We can write a letter for the college's disability services office on request.
Can I start ADHD medication from McAllen without going to Pantego?
For a non-stimulant, yes, at the first video visit. 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. Nobody in McAllen should plan a 500-mile drive around a prescription, so we talk through the non-stimulant options first.
Nearby areas we also serve
Explore care across San Antonio & South Texas or all Texas locations.
We also see patients from Edinburg, Mission, Pharr, Harlingen, and Brownsville, and from anywhere else in Texas by video.
Free and low-cost mental health resources in McAllen
Tropical Texas Behavioral Health is the public mental health authority for Hidalgo County and serves residents without insurance. Call or text 988 any time for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline; the line has Spanish-speaking counselors. UTRGV's School of Medicine runs psychiatry clinics in the Valley, and DHR Health provides behavioral health services in Edinburg for patients who need a higher level of care than video can give.
Book a video visit in English or Spanish at book.lytepsych.com and we will verify your BCBS TX, Humana, or other 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.