Dr. Michael Zizmor is a California-based mental health physician and the founder of Zizmor Mental Health, a private-pay telehealth practice serving patients throughout California. He has been in active clinical practice since 1983 — more than four decades of experience working directly with patients on mental health care, spanning a period in which psychiatric treatment itself has changed enormously: from the medications available, to the understanding of conditions like ADHD in adults, to how care is delivered.

Education and Training

Dr. Zizmor earned his undergraduate degree in Psychology from UC Berkeley before completing his medical degree at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. He went on to complete his internship at Boston University-affiliated hospitals and pursued post-graduate psychiatric training at Saint Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C. — one of the oldest federal psychiatric institutions in the country and a longstanding training site for physicians entering psychiatric practice.

This combination of general medical training and psychiatric specialization has shaped how Dr. Zizmor practices today: with an emphasis on treating the whole patient, not just a diagnosis, and on making sure any recommended treatment — medication, therapy, or both — fits into the reality of a patient's daily life.

Clinical Focus and Approach to Care

Today, Dr. Zizmor applies this clinical foundation to telehealth psychiatric care, with particular focus on ADHD in adults, along with anxiety, depression, and other mental health concerns. Adult ADHD in particular has historically been under-recognized and under-treated, and much of Dr. Zizmor's recent writing has focused on closing that gap — from identifying symptoms that are often missed or misattributed to explaining non-medication approaches to managing ADHD for patients who want a fuller picture of their options before starting a prescription.

Dr. Zizmor founded Zizmor Mental Health on the belief that high-quality psychiatric care shouldn't require months of waiting or navigating insurance restrictions to get in the door. The practice operates on a private-pay model specifically so that clinicians can spend more time with each patient and make independent clinical decisions, free of the session limits and prior-authorization requirements common in insurance-based care. Most care is delivered through secure telehealth, with regional offices supporting in-person evaluation when clinically appropriate. You can read more about the practice's approach to care or start an intake directly.

Writing and Public Education

Beyond direct patient care, Dr. Zizmor writes regularly for this publication on topics at the intersection of clinical psychiatry and everyday life — including how ADHD symptoms present differently in adults, practical and natural approaches to focus and attention, and workplace accommodations under federal disability law. The goal of this writing is the same one behind the practice itself: to make clinically sound mental health information accessible to people before they ever sit down for an appointment. Dr. Zizmor also discusses these topics on the Zizmor Mental Health podcast.

Credentials at a glance

  • Undergraduate: Psychology, UC Berkeley
  • Medical Degree (MD): University of Kansas School of Medicine
  • Internship: Boston University-Affiliated Hospitals
  • Post-Graduate Training: Saint Elizabeths Hospital, Washington, D.C.
  • In practice since: 1983
  • Practice location: Berkeley, California (telehealth statewide)

FAQs

Is Dr. Zizmor a board-certified psychiatrist?

Dr. Zizmor is a mental health physician (MD) with post-graduate psychiatric training; he is not a board-certified psychiatrist.

What does Dr. Zizmor treat?

Dr. Zizmor provides telehealth mental health care for California patients, with particular focus on ADHD and related conditions in adults.

Where is Zizmor Mental Health located?

Zizmor Mental Health's administrative headquarters is in Berkeley, California, with telehealth services available statewide.

Does Dr. Zizmor accept insurance?

No. Zizmor Mental Health operates as a private-pay practice, which allows clinicians to spend more time per patient and make treatment decisions without insurance-imposed session limits or prior authorization requirements.

What can I read Dr. Zizmor's writing on?

Dr. Zizmor writes primarily on adult ADHD — including symptom recognition, non-medication management strategies, and workplace accommodations — as well as broader topics in adult mental health, on the Zizmor Mental Health blog.