Carnegie Mellon University
Student Affairs  ›  Counseling & Psychological Services (CaPS)  ›  Services  ›  Psychiatric Care

Psychiatric Care

The psychiatry team at CaPS includes a psychiatrist and a psychiatry triage, consultation and case management (TCC) clinician. CaPS offers short-term psychiatric consultations, medication management, and case management to students who are engaged in therapy at CaPS. Students must be referred to psychiatry services by a member of CaPS staff. For students whose medication needs fall within our scope of practice, we can provide medication management for a limited period (typically 3-6 months) while your team helps you connect with long-term care in the Pittsburgh community and coordinates with your care provider at home. Psychiatry team members collaborate closely with CaPS therapists to provide high-quality and evidence-based care to students, as long-term outcomes are best when medication is combined with therapy in a coordinated approach.

CaPS provides community referrals to students with complex and/or long-term psychiatric needs and for specialized issues like a formal assessment for ADHD medications. CaPS can help you identify and connect with psychiatrists in the community.

If a CAPS staff member has referred you for psychiatric consultation, then you will be scheduled for an initial one-hour appointment. Prior to that appointment, you will be asked to complete a psychiatric informed consent document and a depression and anxiety questionnaire. The appointment will consist of a diagnostic evaluation, and a recommended treatment plan will be shared after evaluation. We will discuss the risks and benefits of treatment, which may include recommendations for intensity of treatment, types of therapy, and/or medication. It is important to understand that students are a partner in their care and should take an active role in their treatment.

Please note that an appointment with the psychiatrist does not guarantee students will be prescribed medication.

If you are prescribed medication as part of your treatment plan at CaPS, you will have regular 20-30 minute follow up appointments every 2-4 weeks until your symptoms improve. The effects and side effects of the medication will be monitored at each visit and adjustments made accordingly. Medication plus therapy together provide the greatest improvement in symptoms and treatment outcomes.

  • Initial consultation: $40
  • Follow up appointments: $25
  • Initial evaluation no-show fee: $35
  • Follow up appointment no-show fee: $20

If you do not have the Highmark SHIP insurance, psychiatric services will be billed to your student account and labeled as "Student Health Service."

Start by calling your current psychiatrist or provider to determine if you can continue treatment or obtain a prescription refill from them. We will assist students with urgent medication refill needs by connecting them with their previous provider or local emergency center for assistance. CaPS does not typically provide emergency medication prescriptions but can assist the student in accessing a facility that may provide emergency prescriptions.

CaPS provides community referrals to students requiring complex and/or long-term psychiatric needs and for specialized issues like a formal assessment for ADHD/ADD medications. We can help you identify and connect with psychiatrists in the community.

Please refer to your insurance plan’s customer service line for information on psychiatrists in network. If you need more assistance with community psychiatry referrals, CaPS can help you identify and connect with psychiatrists in the community.

For students with the CMU Highmark SHIP, Amwell is an option for telepsychiatry and teletherapy. There is typically a relatively short wait time for services and no cost for those with CMU Highmark SHIP. If you have CMU Highmark SHIP, there is no copay for services, but if you have issues with billing please contact Student Health Insurance at shinsure@andrew.liashapiro.com. Please refer to your enrollment documentation for more information or click on the link below for the summary of benefits and information about getting started with Amwell.

http://et7.liashapiro.com/health-services/student-insurance/plans.html

http://patients.amwell.com/

ADHD

Often, college students have trouble focusing, getting organized or completing work at times of increased stress. If these problems have only started recently (e.g. after coming to undergraduate or graduate school), they are unlikely to be caused by ADHD. ADHD begins in childhood and is not simply a response to stress. Because ADHD begins at an early age and is not episodic, information from parents, physicians and collateral sources is often essential in making a clinical diagnosis. CaPS provides short-term mental health treatment and does not have the resources to provide treatment for students needing long-term treatment for ADHD or other psychiatric disorders.

No, CaPS and UHS do not provide services for new ADHD evaluation or testing. However, we will provide a referral to a community provider as needed. If you have never been diagnosed or treated for ADHD, or been diagnosed but have no medical records available, please contact CaPS at 412-268-2922 to be referred to a provider in the community or contact your insurance company for in network referrals.

If you have been diagnosed and/or treated previously for ADHD, CaPS/UHS requires complete documentation of the diagnostic evaluation and treatment provided by your previous treating physician or other licensed professional. CaPS/UHS may be able to provide medication management if you have been stable on ADHD medication for at least six months, and ADHD is the only psychiatric diagnosis. Contact CaPS for a consultation appointment (412-268-2922) with a TCC clinician to determine your psychiatric needs and most appropriate referrals.