Depression Psychiatrist in NYC

Treatment for depression and treatment-resistant depression, on the Upper West Side and at Union Square.

Dr. Kavin Fatehchand, MD-PhD, on a New York City street.

Dr. Kavin Fatehchand, MD, PhD

MD-PhD — doctoral research in cancer immunology

MD-PhD. I prescribe the way I once ran experiments — less is more, evidence over reflex.

  • One doctor, both treatments
  • Less-is-more prescribing
  • Union Square & Upper West Side
Or Call (917) 300-8998
Training & Credentials
NYPPsychiatry ResidencyNYP-Columbia
Columbia University shieldInstructor in PsychiatryColumbia University
The Ohio State University logoMD & PhDOhio State
Dr. Caroline FuPartner PracticeCaroline Fu Psychiatry
Please note that our clinic does not accept insurance. We are out-of-network.
Depression & Treatment-Resistant Depression Care

Depression Treatment as a Process, Not a 15-Minute Med Check

A hypothesis about what's driving your symptoms, tested against how you respond, and revised as the evidence changes.

What most people mean when they search for help with depression is this: finding the right treatment, then staying with you while it does its job. Depression care here is an ongoing process — monitoring, titrating, reassessing — not a one-time prescription pushed through a fifteen-minute check. That pattern leaves no room to understand what's driving your symptoms. So many people tell me the same thing: I want someone who actually spends time with me and isn't rushing. Between Union Square and the Upper West Side, longer appointments and closer contact let me adjust faster and follow a less-is-more philosophy — understand the drivers first, then peel back rather than pile on.

Dr. Kavin Fatehchand, MD-PhD, on a New York brownstone stoop.

Dr. Kavin Fatehchand, MD, PhD

( they / them )

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Visits & Fees
Transparent fees$1,000 initial evaluation $750 hour-long follow-up $500 medication visit
Out of NetworkWe are not contracted with any health insurance providers
Superbills providedMany PPO plans reimburse 60–80% of their allowed amount after your deductible
Caroline Fu Psychiatry is a Group Practice with Offices in New York & Boston

My Colleagues and I Teach at Harvard & Columbia

Dr. Kavin's clinic is a branch of Caroline Fu Psychiatry. We are a physician-owned group practice with offices in New York & Boston.

The Concierge Difference

Prescribing Like a Scientist

Built around a simple idea — that understanding your whole story, and staying with it, is what actually moves things.

I treat prescribing as reasoning, not reflex — form a clear idea of what's driving your symptoms, test it against how you actually respond, and revise when the evidence changes. Choosing between medications means weighing your prior response, family history, side-effect profile, and what else is in the picture — other conditions, other prescriptions, real interactions. If the first choice doesn't fully work after a fair trial, that's information, not a verdict: we switch to a different medication or add a second that targets what remains. I start low, move one variable at a time, and tell you my thinking as we go.

Longer appointments let me watch closely — titrate a dose, catch a side effect, adjust sooner. A fifteen-minute med check can't do that. I track how you're actually doing with scales like the PHQ-9 and GAD-7 over time, so dose decisions follow a trend, not a guess — fewer than one in five prescribers work this way. More time means I can notice fluctuations earlier and adjust before things get harder.

I meet people on a long list of medications, one treating the side effects of another. My aim is to understand what's driving symptoms and, where it's reasonable, deprescribe — minimize polypharmacy rather than keep adding. When we come off something, I use hyperbolic tapering: reductions of roughly ten percent of the current dose at a time, over months, per the Maudsley Deprescribing Guidelines and NICE guidance. The last few milligrams are often the hardest — which is exactly why slow beats fast.

Your First Visit

What to expect during your first visit with me

Headshot of a South Asian Man

A concierge evaluation is different than what you’ve experienced at a psychiatry office, before. We have 90 minutes to discuss your history, and who you are as a person. It’s the first step towards developing a genuine relationship.

I spend the first session on the big picture:

1) Who are you? I want to know the whole person sitting in front of me — not a symptom list, but your work, your relationships, your family, and your identity.

2) What’s happening in your life right now that’s causing you to seek help? And why now? What changed?

3) What have you already tried, and where did previous treatments stall out? That history is data, not failure. Bring records and medication lists if you have them — or just bring your story.

This is a plan we built together, not a script and a follow-up in three months.

My first priority is to get you started with expert psychotherapy. When medication seems like a good option, I provide psycho-education and we decide on a course together. And if you arrive already carrying several prescriptions, we go slowly — understand the drivers first, then peel back rather than pile on.

The ultimate goal is “fewer medications, thoughtfully chosen.”

What I Sit With

These are situations inside a life — not labels to slot you into.

Depression and anxiety that won't lift

Treatment-resistant depression

The long medication list

“My meds just stopped working”

“How long is this supposed to take?”

“I'm scared to come off my antidepressant”

“The side effects are worse than the problem”

“I feel numb, like I can't feel anything anymore”

A second opinion, before adding one more pill

Medications another doctor started

A dose that isn't landing

My Office Locations in New York

Questions People Ask Before We Begin

Reach Out To Learn More

Maybe you are considering a first medication plan and want to understand what you would actually be starting. Maybe you have been searching for a depression psychiatrist near me and want a fresh set of eyes — a real second opinion on a regimen that has grown long. Or maybe you are ready to taper off something you no longer need. Any of those is a good reason to reach out. If you are curious, let's talk — I see patients in person here in New York City.

This is not an emergency practice. If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911, or call or text 988 for the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

About the Doctor

About Dr. Kavin Fatehchand

A physician-scientist who spent years asking what drives a disease — now asking the same about you.

I'm Dr. Kavin Fatehchand, MD, PhD — a psychiatrist in New York. Before psychiatry, my doctoral research was in cancer immunology, where I spent years asking what actually drives a disease. I ask the same question about symptoms: what's driving this — biology, trauma, the systems you live in? That question shapes how I prescribe, which is less-is-more — understand the drivers, then peel back rather than keep adding.

I'm a queer, South Asian physician, and I say so plainly because I want you to know who's sitting across from you. Representation is the first step — never an assumption about your story. I formulate out loud, telling you what I'm thinking so we can make sense of it together.

Medically reviewed by Dr. Kavin Fatehchand, MD-PhD — psychiatrist, New York City. Last reviewed August 2026.

Dr. Kavin Fatehchand, MD-PhD, outdoors in New York.
Medication, honestly

Two things can be true at once

“I don't want to be on pills forever” and “I want to try meds but I'm nervous about them” — both belong in the same conversation. Before we add or subtract anything, let's understand what's actually driving your symptoms.

Less is more. We start by making sense of the story, together — then decide what belongs in the plan.