Women's Mental Health
Care that accounts for the whole picture — including the parts that are specific to women's lives.
Hormonal transitions, perinatal mental health, and the particular weight of being the one who holds everything together — addressed by a psychiatrist who treats women's mental health as a specialty, not a footnote.
Telehealth · NY · NJ · CA · CT · FL · IL · KS · OH · PA · TX · VA
Mental health through the lens of women's lives
Women's mental health is a distinct subspecialty that addresses how reproductive hormones, life transitions, and biological sex interact with psychiatric conditions and treatment. It is not simply treating women — it is understanding how hormonal changes across the lifecycle affect the presentation, course, and treatment of anxiety, OCD, depression, and mood disorders.
OCD and anxiety disorders often onset or significantly worsen during hormonal transitions: perimenopause, pregnancy, the postpartum period, and the premenstrual phase. Treatments that work well in other contexts may need to be adjusted. Some medications carry specific considerations during pregnancy and breastfeeding that require careful, individualized decision-making.
This is the practice for women who are tired of psychiatric care that doesn't account for any of that.
- Perinatal mental health (pregnancy and postpartum)
- Postpartum OCD and postpartum anxiety
- Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)
- Perimenopause and menopause-related mood and anxiety changes
- OCD and anxiety that worsens during hormonal transitions
- Medication decisions during pregnancy and breastfeeding
- Reproductive psychiatry consultations
- Anxiety and OCD in mothers and caregivers
Pregnancy and the postpartum period are among the highest-risk times for OCD and anxiety
The perinatal period — pregnancy through the first year postpartum — carries significant psychiatric risk, particularly for women with existing anxiety or OCD. New-onset OCD in the postpartum period is more common than many people realize, and it typically presents not with classic visible rituals, but with intrusive, distressing thoughts about harm coming to the baby.
These thoughts are ego-dystonic — meaning they are horrifying to the parent having them, not a reflection of their desires or values. They are a symptom of OCD, not evidence of danger. Recognizing them accurately matters, so that care is calm, appropriate, and supportive.
Dr. Batista has deep expertise in perinatal psychiatry and provides medication management, consultation, and ongoing care through pregnancy and postpartum — including careful, evidence-based guidance on medication safety during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Postpartum intrusive thoughts are not a warning sign
Having intrusive thoughts about your baby does not mean you are dangerous. It is one of the most common and treatable symptoms of postpartum OCD — a condition that responds well to proper treatment.
If you are experiencing these thoughts and haven't spoken to a clinician, or if you've spoken to one who didn't seem to understand what you were describing — a consultation is warranted.
Book a Fit Call — $100 · 20 minutesThe evidence-based answer is often more nuanced than "stop your medication"
Women with anxiety and OCD are frequently told to discontinue psychiatric medication when they become pregnant. For some patients, this is the right decision. For many, it is not — and untreated or undertreated anxiety and OCD during pregnancy carries its own real risks for both mother and baby.
The decision requires a careful, individualized weighing of benefits and risks — not a blanket policy. Dr. Batista provides that kind of consultation: grounded in the evidence, sensitive to each patient's specific history and circumstances, and without judgment about what the right answer should be.
When anxiety worsens with your cycle or age
Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) involves significant mood and anxiety changes in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle — in the week or two before menstruation — that resolve with the onset of menstruation. It is a real psychiatric condition, and it responds to specific treatments.
Perimenopause and menopause also carry significant psychiatric risk, particularly for women with pre-existing anxiety disorders or OCD. Hormonal fluctuations can destabilize previously well-controlled conditions, and the cognitive and mood changes of menopause are real, recognized, and treatable.
- Women seeking preconception psychiatric consultation
- Pregnant women managing OCD or anxiety
- New mothers experiencing postpartum OCD, anxiety, or depression
- Women whose anxiety or OCD is tied to their menstrual cycle
- Women navigating perimenopause and menopause-related psychiatric changes
- Women who want a psychiatrist who understands reproductive context
Talk to a psychiatrist who specializes in women's mental health.
Book a Fit Call — $100 · 20 minutesCommon Questions
Do you offer telehealth for women's mental health? Which states do you serve?
Yes. Dr. Batista provides telehealth care for adults 18 and older in New York, New Jersey, California, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Kansas, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Virginia. You must be physically located in one of these states at the time of your appointment.
What does treatment involve—medication, therapy, or both?
Dr. Batista is both a psychiatrist and an experienced psychotherapist, and care can include psychiatric evaluation, medication management, psychotherapy provided by Dr. Batista herself, or both medication and psychotherapy, including ERP (exposure and response prevention) when appropriate for OCD. Medication decisions during pregnancy and breastfeeding are considered individually. If you already have a therapist you want to keep, she can coordinate with them, with your permission. Medication is not a requirement; decisions are made together.
How do I get started, and what does the first step cost?
You can book an evaluation directly: the Initial Psychiatric Consultation is 90 minutes and costs $1,200, while the Extended Evaluation is two hours with a written report and costs $2,400. If you have questions about fit and logistics first, the optional 20-minute video Fit Call costs $100, credited toward an evaluation booked within 30 days. The Fit Call is nonclinical and does not include diagnosis, medical advice, or treatment recommendations.
Do you take insurance? Can I get reimbursed?
The practice is private-pay and out of network. Dr. Batista provides superbills that patients can submit to their insurance company for possible out-of-network reimbursement. In some cases, the practice can also submit a courtesy claim electronically on a patient's behalf, depending on whether the plan accepts it. This does not make the practice in network or guarantee reimbursement.
Who is this a good fit for?
This practice sees adults 18 and older with women's and perinatal mental health concerns. Areas of focus include pregnancy and postpartum, postpartum OCD and anxiety, PMDD, and mood or anxiety changes during perimenopause and menopause. You can seek care for the first time or revisit an existing treatment plan.
Ready to get started?
Your mental health doesn't exist in a vacuum, and your care shouldn't either. Psychiatric care that accounts for hormones, life stage, and the full complexity of women's mental health.
Optional · 20 minutes · $100, credited toward an evaluation booked within 30 days
90 minutes · $1,200 or two hours with report · $2,400