In recent years, the number of students at Washington University requesting evaluation and care for attention deficit-hyperactivity related disorders (ADHD/ADD) has escalated significantly. Providing services to this large and increasing volume of ADHD/ADD patients has made it impossible to maintain the availability of quality psychiatric services for students with immediate mental health needs, potentially putting these high-risk students in jeopardy. For this reason, in March of 2020 the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services (CCPS) suspended the treatment of any new or transferred patients that require the prescription of stimulant medications. Some examples of these types of medicine include Adderall, Ritalin, Concerta, Focalin, and Vyvanse. If you are already receiving stimulant medications, we encourage you to try to continue to work with your current provider. For information about available ADHD/ADD services in the St. Louis area, including formal diagnostic testing for ADHD, please see more information below.
Off Campus Care for ADD/ADHD
We have attached a list of psychiatrists (MDs) and clinics in the Washington University area that will see and treat Wash U students with ADHD/ADD. See current psychiatry treatment list. We recommend that you check with your insurance company to see if there are preferred psychiatric providers covered by your plan in the St. Louis area. Please keep in mind that many area psychiatrists have a 2-3 month waiting period for a first appointment.
If you are unsure of a diagnosis of ADHD/ADD you may want to proceed with formal diagnostic testing to confirm the diagnosis. Formal testing is performed by a psychologist and may be needed to establish the diagnosis. View a list of psychologists who do formal testing. Please keep in mind that psychologists cannot prescribe medication for ADHD/ADD (see the previous list of psychiatrists (MD) for prescribing and other medication issues). As a rule, diagnostic testing is mandatory for any accommodations desired from Wash U Disability Resources or for accommodations on major examinations such as the LSAT, GRE, MCAT, etc. If you are unsure whether/with whom to start an evaluation, we would recommend starting with the psychiatrist (MD), who can then help you decide if formal testing is necessary.
While we are unable to offer assessment and initiation of pharmaceutical treatment of ADHD, we often have psychoeducational groups teaching skills to cope with difficulties experienced by people with ADHD. These groups are free and no diagnosis is required; more information can be found on the CCPS groups page.
We will continue to be available to students to help find appropriate evaluation and treatment resources in the St. Louis area.