Dr. Lewis Winkler -- psychiatrist

[Anonymous]

My observations of Dr. Lewis Winkler:

1.) He does not remember what medications he has prescribed and when he did so. He asks the patient what medication they are taking and what dosage when they need a refill. As a member of group therapy, I remember talking to a fellow member who claimed to "adjust" his dosages of a stimulant by himself.

2.) His group therapy is more of a "what did you do this week" discussion rather than anything therapeutic. On more than a few occasions he has asked a female member if they attract attention outside and then telling them they are "sexy". He seems to love to talk about relationships gone bad. He spends a large amount of time on one person while the remaining people get less than a few minutes. Then you get a $300 bill for each week of therapy.

3.) Overall a bad vibe from him. He seems insensitive and not caring of the individual. Maybe narcissistic?

4.) On a good note, he is very intelligent and knowledgeable about his work.

[Anonymous]

I wrote the above post and was one of his female patients

[Anonymous]

I too was one of his female patients, and I agree with the above poster's assessments. Here are mine.

1). He is very kind and has good intentions.

However,

2) Group therapy was useless unless you spoke up. There was no guidance from him, nor was it therapeutic. It was a mostly a "what did you do this week?" which is monopolized by 2 or 3 people. Their struggles were different from mine and since there was nothing in common that we shared, I learned nothing to improve my situation. In fact, it was a waste of time.

3) He called women sexy, including myself, which made me uncomfortable. Having been sexually abused, I am very uncomfortable when the term rape applied to me. During individual therapy I was shocked to hear him say "You were raped"; I wasn't ready to hear the R-word. I found that very insensitive.

4) He quickly made assumptions about why I felt bad instead of hearing me out.

5) He did not remember the medication nor the dosage--which is understandable since he doesn't take down notes.

He does have good intentions though. Therapist-patient relations can be tricky and I have seen good reviews about him on the internet.

[Anonymous]

Most psychiatrists don't do any personal therapy in their training- hello?

Also, the half life of Effexor is 48 hours. You must use something with a long half life to mask the wretched symptoms you can get from cleansing yourself of it. I used Prozac.

If Fred Solomon is still working- he's fabulous.

-A psychotherapist who had a lot of personal therapy as a part of my training and who has withdrawn from Effexor.

[Anonymous]

[This is a great resource. I disagree. I think it's one thing if it's a preschool, or daycare that doesn't reflect one individual. I think when you name someone, there needs to be accountability. What would make someone who wanted to stir the pot or keep them from lying. What if I said, I saw this dr. and he kicked someone. Do you know how it could hurt someone to name them. This one person's perception on the experience she had with meds can deter people from seeing him, when it is just her opinion. I have no problem with naming someone, however, you PP's should state your name and profession and we'll talk about you, and you can see how nervous you might be.

NP. I agree to some extent which is why I RARELY give negative opinions about providers UNLESS I felt the professional had the potential to do harm. In this case it does sound like it is worthwhile and hopefully people who were pleased will post as well.. Furthermore, there are now several websites where anyone can go on and rate and Dr. and give an opinion. If someone is good, a few bad reviews doesn't do much. I have gone on those sites to defend doctors we have been pleased with and I can tell you despite the negative reviews I saw, the offices were busy as can be and the wait for an appointment was months.

[Anonymous]

It sounds like Winkler has jumped the shark.

[Anonymous]

I can't tell you how wrong and seemingly trivial some of the negative posts here are. I called Dr. Winkler at the depths of a terrible personal crisis, and though he was heavily booked, he agreed to see me right away. His response was "sounds like you need to be seen right away." Not only that, he saw me every day until the crisis stabilized, and during that period he sometimes called me at home just to check on my well-being. The man literally saved my life. He is truly caring, life-affirming and thoughtful in his suggestions. I disagree with the idea that he doesn't know what meds his patients are on. He might ask you to remind him to save you both the time and trouble of looking it up, but he obviously has records. I know he has done quite of bit of court testimony and has invariably qualified as an expert psychiatrist. His style is obviously not for everyone. He appears to be too "laid back" to some, but to me he and his memory of my issues has always seemed exceptionally sharp. To others, he may seem to brusque or perhaps not gentle enough--that was my initial impression when I met him, but I stayed with him long enough to learn that my initial impression was wrong. I also take issue with the "sexy" comment. I am female, and he has never made any inappropriate comments about my looks. Maybe he made that comment to bolster someone's low self-esteem--we have no idea of the context from that post. The idea that Dr. Winkler is sexist is just not credible to me. He has been unflagging in his support of women and their work-life issues in group settings, and I think most of his female patients would agree that sexism has never been an issue. If you want a doctor who truly cares whether you improve, whether you resolve your life issues, and whether you see him again, you would do well to call Dr. Winkler. He's down in the trenches with his patients when it counts, and that's what I think most people are looking for. If you had a "bad' vibe, then Dr. Winkler is not the doctor for you, but given the size and stability of his practice over time--among people who could easily choose to see someone else--there are many more people who get a "good vibe" about Dr. Winkler, and imho, deservedly so.

[Anonymous]

I disagree with the poster who has a problem with mention of specific names.

A psychiatrist may be good for depression, but not as effective for anxiety. A dermatologist who is not of much help for acne may be the very one you want to see if you are concerned about cancer. Many medical professionals have quite specialized interests, as well as areas where they have a relatively low knowledge base. Some have a great bedside manner, others are just the facts please, styles which appeal to different types of people.

These are things you want to know in advance, but it is very hard information to get. Posts on DCUM can very helpful in this regard.

[Anonymous]

I am a patient of Dr. Winkler's and have been for almost 6 months and have mixed feelings about my experience.

What works for me:


1. I'm not certain of his experience with medical diagnoses, as I was already diagnosed prior to seeing him, however, he frequently asks if the medication is working and listens if a change needs to be made.

2. He was very helpful when I came to see him and is still genuinely concerned about my well-being.

3. What I gather is that his main modality is 'talk therapy.'

4. He has decades of experience, wisdom and a good sense of humor.

5. Few doctors in Washington, DC take insurance - well not in the fields of Psychopharmacology or Psychotherapy. He is not in my plan but has been flexible with payments.


What is not working:

1. I wish he were more CBT oriented - or any other method. While talk therapy is great - I would like to focus on actually identifying the behaviors and triggers - changing them and moving on.

2. I really had to take initiative about managing payments and billing. He is flexible with payments, which is great, but I find myself doing a lot of paper work.

3. But the thing that is not working most is that he offers weekly group therapy in addition to individual therapy. I thought that group therapy was arbitrary and used as a tool if one needed - however - in his practice it is mandatory. Group therapy for me is getting increasingly difficult. I never liked it initially however thought that perhaps my opinion change if I worked through it. The basic experience is that patients go around the room and discuss their present romantic relationships. I suppose you can choose to discuss whichever topic you like - however - week upon week I find myself updating the latest 'story.'

4. Where I can see the benefits of group - this method is not working for me.