Psychiatrist in Jacksonville, NC

Quick Facts: Telepsychiatry in Jacksonville

• I’m Shantanu Baghel, DO, board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in psychiatry and forensic psychiatry. You see me at every visit.
• I see patients by video anywhere in North Carolina, and in person at my Wilmington office by request. I’m licensed in North Carolina only.
• A flat $250 a month covers up to four visits. The first evaluation counts as one of the four. Labs and medications are paid separately.
• Visits run 45 to 60 minutes, including the first one.
• I don’t bill insurance for my monthly practice. I’m not in the TRICARE network, and I don’t take Medicaid. I’ve written up the cash-pay model in full.
• You don’t need a referral. I order my own labs and I take new patients directly.
• After the free 15-minute call, I book your evaluation on my next open date.
• I see adults 18 and over anywhere in North Carolina, including Onslow, Carteret, Pender, Duplin, Jones and Craven.
• I do psychiatric diagnosis and medication management. I don’t provide therapy or after-hours coverage.
• I’m not a crisis service. If you’re in immediate danger, call 911, or call or text 988. Veterans and service members can dial 988 and press 1.

Getting an Appointment in Jacksonville

Of Onslow County’s 11 licensed psychiatrists in 2025, 4 worked mainly in child psychiatry or addiction treatment. That leaves 7 general psychiatrists. I’m taking new adult patients in Onslow County.

In Jacksonville, 94.2% of households have a broadband subscription (Census QuickFacts). You can take the free 15-minute call at home or in a private spot on a lunch break.

When There’s No Primary Care Doctor to Start With

Onslow has 2,960 residents for every primary care physician. North Carolina runs 1,410. The standard route runs through a family doctor who does the bloodwork, rules out the medical causes, and writes the referral. That route breaks down here before it starts.

Some symptoms that look psychiatric have a medical cause.

Thyroid disease can produce depression and anxiety that look like the primary conditions. Anemia and B12 deficiency produce the fatigue and concentration problems that people often call depression. Sleep apnea produces daytime sleepiness, irritability and forgetfulness. A large neck or the shape of the jaw and airway can raise the risk even without obesity. Low testosterone produces low mood, low drive and poor concentration. I check for these before I settle on a psychiatric diagnosis.

I order labs when your evaluation calls for them. Labs and medications are paid separately. You get the results, and I go through them with you.

If something turns up that belongs with a primary care physician or a specialist, I’ll tell you plainly and help you figure out where to take it. Managing it long term stays with primary care.

Testosterone, Supplements, and Mood

Many people who train hard take something for it. Some of that is ordinary. Some of it is testosterone obtained outside a clinic, or a peptide, or a pre-workout stack with a proprietary blend on the label that lists the ingredients but not how much of each is in it.

Supraphysiologic testosterone raises aggression in some people and produces hypomania in a few. Coming off it, or running out of a source, can produce a depressive crash that looks like a primary depressive episode. High-dose stimulant pre-workouts drive anxiety and insomnia that can look like an anxiety disorder. And several of the compounds sold as research chemicals have never been through a trial in humans at all, so nobody can tell you what they do to mood, including me.

I’m not going to lecture you. I do need to know what you’re taking, because it changes the diagnosis and it changes what I can safely prescribe. Someone who is hypomanic on exogenous testosterone needs the testosterone sorted out.

If low testosterone is the actual problem, that is treatable and I treat it, with monitoring and with lab numbers. I order morning total and free testosterone twice on separate days before I prescribe anything, because a single low reading is not a diagnosis.

New to Jacksonville With a Prescription

In Jacksonville, 72.1% of residents lived in the same house a year earlier, so more than 1 in 4 had moved within the year (Census QuickFacts). Coastal Carolina Community College says 40 to 50 percent of its students are active duty military and their family members.

If you arrived on orders or for a job and already take a psychiatric medication, bring the names, doses and dates of everything you’re on, plus records from your last prescriber if you can get them. I review the regimen at the first visit and continue what fits your plan. Decisions about controlled medications are individualized.

If you move again inside the state, from Sneads Ferry to Raleigh or anywhere else, you keep the same physician.

Coming Off a Medication

If you started an antidepressant years ago and want to know whether you still need it, I can review it with you.

A careful taper needs frequent contact across many months. My page on supervised antidepressant tapering explains how I set the pace.

Crisis Resources in Onslow County

If you’re in immediate danger, call 911, or call or text 988, or go to the nearest emergency department. I’m not a crisis service and I don’t cover after-hours calls.

• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988. Free and confidential, open to everyone.
• Veterans Crisis Line: dial 988 and press 1, or text 838255. Open to veterans, service members, National Guard and Reserve, and their families, whether or not you’re enrolled with the VA.
• Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741, or HOLA for Spanish.
• Trillium Health Resources behavioral health crisis line: 1-888-302-0738, answered 24 hours a day by licensed clinicians. Trillium is the tailored plan for Onslow County and scopes this line to NC Medicaid members. If you’re uninsured or paying cash, use 988.
• Mobile crisis teams: Trillium lists two teams for Onslow County. Their numbers are 1-866-437-1821 and 1-844-709-4097. Anyone can call a team directly, and the teams respond at home, at work or in the community.
• Military OneSource: 800-342-9647, answered 24 hours a day, for service members and their families. They offer free, confidential counseling and connect you with other resources.
• NC Peer Warmline: 1-855-733-7762, answered by a peer support specialist. Use 988 in an emergency.

If you aren’t sure which number to use, 988 takes any call and doesn’t ask about your coverage.

Common Questions

Can I see a psychiatrist online in North Carolina?

Yes. I’m licensed in North Carolina and I evaluate and treat adults by secure video anywhere in the state, as long as you’re in North Carolina during the visit. If you expect to be out of state that day, or deployed, tell me ahead and I’ll move it.

Do I need a referral to see you?

No. You book the free call directly and I take it from there. That matters in Onslow, where there are 2,960 residents per primary care physician.

Can you order blood work, or do I need a doctor for that?

I order labs when your evaluation calls for them. Labs and medications are paid separately.

Do you take TRICARE?

No. I’m not in the TRICARE network and I don’t bill it. A flat $250 a month covers up to four visits.

Will I see the same psychiatrist at every visit?

Yes. You see me at every visit. I’m a physician, board-certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology in psychiatry and forensic psychiatry. The ABPN lets anyone look up a psychiatrist’s board certification.

Can you prescribe medication through telepsychiatry in North Carolina?

Yes, for most psychiatric medications. Prescribing decisions for controlled medications are individualized.

This page is general information about psychiatric care in North Carolina and is not medical advice. It does not create a physician-patient relationship. If you are in crisis, call or text 988 or go to the nearest emergency department.