Psychiatry and Substance Use Services (PASS)

A psychiatrist is a medical doctor who has completed medical school and goes on to get trained in the specialty of psychiatry.  People often get this term confused with the term psychologist.  A psychologist provides psychotherapy after completing a graduate program in the field of Psychology and receives a PhD or PsyD.  They do not prescribe medication.

A psychiatric nurse practitioner is someone who has completed a nursing degree, and then goes on to receive advanced practice training in the field of psychiatry.  Psychiatric nurse practitioners can prescribe psychiatric medications.

We provide psychiatric evaluations and ongoing medication management as needed.

Please contact our front desk at 301.314.8106. Our Administrative Assistants will help you schedule your appointment and provide you with important information regarding required forms to complete before your first appointment.

Assessment

• If you know you need medication, we will review our concerns, symptoms, history, and medical issues with you and recommendations will be made. Together, you and your psychiatric provider will devise a treatment plan.
• If you think you might need medication, our licensed psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners can help you decide if medications are right for you.  Your concerns, symptoms, history, and medical issues will be discussed with you and a treatment plan will be devised with you, which may or may not include prescription of medications.

Continuation of Medication

If your prescriber is out of state or no longer available, we can continue your medications and adjust as necessary, when a new patient appointment becomes available.  Once you are stable you may be referred to primary care or to an outside psychiatrist for follow-up.

If you already have a prescriber nearby, it is recommended that you continue with that provider if you are able to do so.

We have always worked closely with our Primary Care team.  We are now making an effort to more fully integrate our services with them.  This can take the form of a referral to Psychiatry and Substance Use Services (PASS) from a Health Center Primary Care provider or having our PCBH care clinician send you screening questionnaires to track any depression or anxiety you may be feeling.  They may then offer you an appointment in PASS if your screening suggests that you might benefit from one.

The Substance Use Intervention and Treatment (SUIT) Program is comprised of a multidisciplinary team of substance use disorder experts from the fields of Addiction Medicine, social work, and counseling. Together they oversee an array of services for students who may be struggling with alcohol or drug use, through both voluntary and mandatory services. 

Click below to learn more.

In some situations, Psychiatry And Substance Use Services (PASS) can provide support to students struggling with ADHD symptoms. Click below to learn more. 

Please call (301) 314-8106 to schedule an appointment.  You may also use the MyUHC patient portal below to send a secure message to your provider. 
 

Please complete and submit the Informed Consent for Teletherapy/Telehealth form

The University Health Center keeps medical records in compliance with professional, legal, and ethical guidelines. No one will access records except authorized staff unless the patient provides written permission by completing the Patient Authorization Release of Information Form. 

Mental Health records will not become a part of the patient's academic file. Medical records will not be disclosed without the patients permission.

If you are concerned about the mental health of a fellow UMD student, please contact the University Counseling Center as a place to start.

Please note: Because of confidentiality, we cannot release any information about students in our care, however we can provide general guidance and listen to any information or concerns you wish to share with us.

Exceptions to confidentiality include: imminent danger to self or others, patient records subpoenaed by a court, or in accordance with Maryland state laws regarding child abuse.

Effective treatment requires an atmosphere of trust.  Please raise any questions about our confidentiality policy with your clinician.