COVID-19 - Pasadena Neuropsychiatry

Dear Patients,

This is undoubtedly a challenging time in many ways.

There are even more questions than answers, despite a deluge of information from the media. Everyone’s lives have been interrupted — each individual’s routine has melded into a universal one: the equivalent of being grounded as a kid. We have fewer liberties right now, and even though we may understand why, it can still feel frustrating to have less freedom.

I have experienced some of the frustrations but sublimated in different ways — like trying to buy PPE for our staff. Telemed with two kids and two standard poodle puppies downstairs. I’ve also worried about my patients — some of them who are older, some who are more ill, and others simply vulnerable for a myriad of reasons. How would we get some of them their monthly medications? How can we ensure they are eating or have enough food?

Change is hard, and times such as now test our adaptability “muscles”. It might be a painful process, but these are also the opportunities that truly teach us what we really need in life to be satisfied and what else is excess.

I am also reminded of one of the most salient examples of human resilience — one I learned as a prison doctor in the SHU (23-hr lockdown) units. Isolation is a powerful impetus for building community — even when it seems impossible.

Logistics for Services & dTMS Pasadena

Medical services are considered one of the 16 “essential” critical sectors of the infrastructure and can remain open to serve the needs of the public, with the overall goal being to reduce negative outcomes on overall health conditions. (See https://www.cisa.gov/critical-infrastructure-sectors).
As a physician who is also a GP and specializes in psychiatry, lives that are severely affected, as well as lost, due to psychiatric causes do not rank any lower in their significance than other causes.
Since the first COVID 19 case was identified in the US in mid-January, roughly 9,000+ Americans have died from another epidemic: suicide. We lose 130 people per day to this preventable cause of death. Thus, ceasing psychiatric treatment designed and approved for those who are suffering the most is a risk vs. risk calculation.
Thus, the following considerations have been made in accordance with the governor’s order, the CDC’s guidelines and the Department of Public Health:
We have advised all dTMS patients that they can cease TMS mid-treatment should they feel it is the right decision.
Patients receiving TMS are continually screened for their overall risk of developing illness. Those with moderate to high risk for complex outcomes are considered too high risk for continuation and will be monitored closely vis telemed or home visits in lieu of continuation at this time.
For those who continue to receiving treatment or patients needing to come to the clinic for specific medication administration, all efforts are made to stagger patients, and a six feet distance in the waiting room is enforced utilizing a formal barrier. Patients are screened upon entry per CDC guidelines, including monitoring of temperature.
Patients whom we plan on visiting at home will be screened over the phone in advance. Masks and hand sanitizers are present in our clinic. Patients are provided with education regarding what symptoms and side effects to be aware of, and how to seek additional care per the LA County’s guidelines.

Current Logistics

For updated, objective data, please visit:

Please do not hesitate to contact our clinic if you have any questions: 626-765-6704. After hours the phone will connect to Dr. Sepah’s after-hours line.

Should you experience shortness of breath or chest pain, please contact emergency services. For urgent or emergency psychiatric help, a 24-hour ACCESS line is provided by Los Angeles, 888-854-7771. For general questions, the LA County can be contacted for resources at 211.

Thank you, and please know we are here for you.

Pasadena Neuropsychiatry