We’re a team of clinicians and staff who have dedicated our lives to research, education, and treating those with mental health conditions. We’re especially passionate about helping those with Treatment-Resistant Depression and providing the most advanced therapies available, including Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and esketamine nasal spray, both FDA-approved for advanced depression. Mental health conditions can be profoundly painful and isolating, making it difficult to seek help. Our team provides a unique, patient-centered experience to help you find the appropriate treatment and relief from your symptoms. We’re grateful to be practicing psychiatry during this era in which there are so many new treatment possibilities and new hope for those with mental health conditions.
Stella Mental Health in Irvine, California provides interventional psychiatric care for individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, OCD, PTSD/PTSI, and other treatment-resistant mental health conditions. Using evidence-based treatments and advanced psychiatric protocols, Stella’s Advanced Practice Providers integrate effective, innovative treatments within a medically guided model of care. Treatment options include Spravato (esketamine) nasal spray, ketamine-assisted infusion therapy, transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), pharmacology medication management, or the dual sympathetic reset (DSR) of advanced stellate ganglion blocks (SGB). Trusted by patients and backed by clinical research, Stella Irvine delivers one of the most comprehensive sets of mental health treatment options available under one roof. Stella’s experts help patients clearly understand their symptoms, determine the most effective treatment pathway, and pursue an approach with the highest likelihood of meaningful improvement, symptom relief, and long-term stability.
Depression that hasn’t responded to two or more antidepressant trials is classified as treatment-resistant, and it’s a reality for a significant share of the patients who come through our Los Angeles clinics. Spravato® (esketamine) gives these patients a second avenue: an FDA-approved nasal spray delivered in a supervised clinical setting rather than a pill taken at home. From West Hollywood to Santa Monica to the office towers of Downtown LA, our network gives Angelenos a nearby option once oral medications alone haven’t been enough.
Most antidepressants work by gradually raising levels of serotonin or norepinephrine, a process that can take a month or more to produce noticeable change. Spravato takes a different route, acting on NMDA receptors within the brain’s glutamate system. Paired with an oral antidepressant that patients continue taking, this dual approach is designed to shorten the gap between starting treatment and feeling its effects. Every patient’s dosing curve looks a little different, and our Los Angeles clinicians adjust the plan as your response becomes clear.
Spravato can’t be prescribed like a typical medication picked up at a pharmacy. Federal REMS rules require it to be self-administered on-site, in a certified facility, with a licensed provider watching the entire process. After your dose, you’ll stay under observation for a minimum of two hours so staff can track your blood pressure and watch for any dissociation or drowsiness before you’re cleared to go.
With locations reachable from Downtown LA, West Hollywood, and Santa Monica by way of the 101 and 405 corridors, our goal is to keep the commute manageable even on the days the freeways aren’t cooperating. The heaviest scheduling demand comes early in treatment, when sessions happen a couple of times a week; our coordinators build appointment windows around that reality rather than asking patients to rearrange their entire calendar. One firm rule applies to every visit: you’ll need someone else behind the wheel on the ride home.
Patients come to our Los Angeles clinics from every corner of the metro area, often after cycling through multiple medications without lasting results — Spravato is offered here as an FDA-regulated next step, used in tandem with continued oral treatment rather than as a stand-alone fix. Conditions we treat include:
Before starting, every patient goes through a full psychiatric workup so our team can confirm the diagnosis fits and map out a dosing plan tailored to that individual.
The FDA approved Spravato specifically for adults whose depression, including major depressive disorder with suicidal ideation, hasn’t improved after trying at least two other antidepressants. Certain health issues — poorly controlled blood pressure or particular heart conditions among them — can complicate candidacy, so your first visit will include a close look at your cardiovascular and psychiatric history before any decisions are made.
Absolutely, and many patients find the combination more effective than either treatment alone. If you already see a therapist, our clinical team is glad to coordinate with them directly; if you don’t, we can connect you with someone in the LA area who fits your needs.
Once the induction phase wraps up, most patients shift into a maintenance schedule with sessions spaced further apart — the exact cadence depends on how well symptoms have held steady. We revisit that schedule regularly and adjust it up or down based on what your progress tells us.
Some patients feel a shift within the first week or two; for others, it takes longer, particularly if prior treatments have been extensive or if other health factors are in play. Because Spravato is paired with an oral antidepressant, your care team is watching the combined effect of both, not just one medication in isolation.
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