Adult ADHD Psychiatrist for the Upper West Side, Manhattan

The Upper West Side runs from Lincoln Center to the edge of Columbia's campus, and many of the adults who look for ADHD care here are students, faculty, researchers, performers and writers. Their schedules are often self-directed, which is exactly where untreated ADHD tends to bite. This page covers the campus services around the neighborhood, how they fit with private care, the New York rules that apply to a visit taken from here, and local crisis options. None of these services are part of Dr. Shershow's practice, and this page does not describe an office on the Upper West Side. Call the office to ask how visits are arranged.

Who lives on the Upper West Side

The Department of City Planning profile for Manhattan Community District 7 (Lincoln Square, Manhattan Valley and the Upper West Side) reports that 75.3% of residents 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, against 37.4% citywide, and that 20.4% of residents are 65 or older, against 14.1% citywide (2014 to 2018 American Community Survey estimates). Academic and creative work rarely comes with an outside structure of fixed hours and close supervision. The National Institute of Mental Health lists adult ADHD symptoms that include procrastination, poor time management and trouble finishing projects, and notes that in ADHD these are more severe, frequent and persistent than the ordinary version. A dissertation that will not get written, or a portfolio that never gets finished, can be signs worth discussing with a clinician.

Columbia students: how the campus ADHD process works

Columbia Health runs its own ADHD evaluation, and students should understand it before choosing where to be evaluated. According to Columbia Health's page:

• Who is eligible: students on the Morningside and Manhattanville campuses who paid the full-time Columbia Health and Related Services Fee. For them the evaluation has no fee.
• The steps: a treatment planning session with Counseling and Psychological Services (CPS), then documentation (school records from elementary school to the present, a student ADHD questionnaire and work feedback if available), then an intake and follow-up appointments.
• Prior diagnoses: CPS completes a full evaluation even for students diagnosed or treated before, and outside records may not satisfy its requirements.
• Medication: CPS does not prescribe stimulant refills before its evaluation is complete. Students are told to get refills from their current prescriber in the meantime.
• Accommodations: Disability Services does not diagnose ADHD. Students seeking ADHD medication from CPS psychiatrists or ADHD accommodations from Disability Services must go through the CPS evaluation.
• Off-campus option: students who prefer an off-campus evaluation for ADHD medication can ask CPS for a referral.

The practical issue for students arriving on medication: if your current prescriber is licensed only in another state, they generally cannot treat you by video while you are physically in New York, because New York requires a New York license to serve a patient located here. Plan the gap before the semester starts. See out-of-state students and ADHD care in New York and the page on ADHD care for college and graduate students.

Disability offices on and near the Upper West Side

Each office sets its own documentation rules. A written evaluation from a private psychiatrist may help, but there is no guarantee any office will accept it. See ADHD accommodations in New York colleges.

Faculty, staff and working artists

Accommodations are not only for students. Faculty, lab staff and employees of the neighborhood's arts institutions who work in the city are covered by the NYC Human Rights Law, which applies to employers with four or more people and treats impairments of the neurological system as disabilities. When an employee asks for an accommodation, the employer must engage in a good-faith "cooperative dialogue" and give a written final determination. Examples people ask about include written instructions, protected focus time and adjusted deadlines; none are guaranteed. See ADHD workplace accommodations in New York.

New York rules for a visit taken from here

Dr. Shershow is licensed in New York and New Jersey, follow-up visits are held by secure video, and you must be physically in New York or New Jersey during any video visit. For a patient on the Upper West Side, New York's rules apply:

• As of October 2026, New York sets no in-person requirement of its own for prescribing controlled substances by telehealth and follows federal rules. The DEA telemedicine flexibilities run through December 31, 2026.
• Schedule II stimulants cannot be refilled and are generally limited to a 30-day supply, with an exception of up to three months for attention deficit disorder when the prescription notes the condition.
• Most prescribers are required to consult the state Prescription Monitoring Program registry when prescribing Schedule II, III and IV controlled substances.

Students and faculty who travel for fieldwork, tours or conferences should know that video visits cannot happen from outside New York and New Jersey. Plan appointments around travel, and read traveling with ADHD medication.

Crisis and support resources

• Mount Sinai Morningside: its emergency department at 443 West 113th Street includes a psychiatric emergency department.
• 988: call or text 988 to reach NYC 988 at any hour. In an emergency, call 911.
• NAMI-NYC: a weekday helpline and support groups.

Cost and insurance

Students on a school health plan, freelancers and faculty each have different coverage. New York's behavioral health insurance protections apply to policies bought in New York, while out-of-state and self-funded plans follow other rules. Call the office for the current fees and how insurance works with the practice, and see fees and insurance. The adult ADHD evaluation page explains what the evaluation covers.