Dr. Jean Thomas, Child Psychiatrist

[Anonymous]

Does anyone have any feedback on child psychiatrist Jean Thomas, now working in Kensington, related to the treatment of ADHD?

[Anonymous]

Dr. Thomas is one of the best pediatric psychiatrists in the area. She is not one to spend ten minutes with a child, write a prescription, and send them on their way. She actually takes the time to assess children to make sure she understands them and knows what they need. I would recommend her over anyone else in the area. She went to one of the best medical schools in the country, was previously the Director of Residency training at Children's, This woman knows what she is talking about and you can trust her direction and recommendations.

[Anonymous]

Actually, I have taken my child to her and I found her, for lack of a better word, crazy. When I asked her for ways to handle my out of control 3 year old beyond medications (which I wasn't necessarily opposed to but 3 seemed young) she asked me to make a list of what worked for me and then said "that sounds good.". Her appointments took forever, with very little accomplished or decided. This was before she joined ITS. Since then, other ITS parents who have consulted her have remarked to me -- not knowing that we had seen her at children's -- that she seemed crazy and not helpful. I would advise you to steer clear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Actually, I have taken my child to her and I found her, for lack of a better word, crazy. When I asked her for ways to handle my out of control 3 year old beyond medications (which I wasn't necessarily opposed to but 3 seemed young) she asked me to make a list of what worked for me and then said "that sounds good.". Her appointments took forever, with very little accomplished or decided. This was before she joined ITS. Since then, other ITS parents who have consulted her have remarked to me -- not knowing that we had seen her at children's -- that she seemed crazy and not helpful. I would advise you to steer clear.

Who have you found that you prefer?

[Anonymous]

PP here. We get our medications from Dr. Conlon, our dev ped. He's very knowledgeable and helpful. But it's for anxiety/ADHD issues. If the issues are more complicated (bipolar, etc.), I don't have any recommendations. If you can be more specific about what you are looking for, maybe someone can jump in with more ideas.

[Anonymous]

Oops, just noticed you said Adhd. Conlon has been great for meds, but for behavioral strategies, you'll need to consult a psychologist or behaviorist. I like Cheryl Holland at ITS for solid strategies.

[Anonymous]

I think it is pretty unlikely you cant find a better word than crazy and I dont know her at all so I am not here to say she is great.
Also, if your child is 3 and you were asked to provide a list as you stated above, why is it a negative thing that she approved everything on your list? It would mean to me that she looked at your list and found nothing there to be detrimental to your kid or counterproductive. That is her job to tell you that. It isnt really her job to be a magician and fix all of the behavioral problems with your 3 year old you are facing. It sounds like you were disappointed she didnt give you suggestions that werent on your list already when maybe this means you were just already doing things right and are very well informed as it is. Sometimes an out of control 3 year old turns into a very active 4 year old BECAUSE you are doing everything right to re direct things and you dont need meds so maybe you might be right on track. I dont think this is a reason to bash the Dr. People get frustrated because the road is long sometimes but really there are times where the road is just that - LONG.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oops, just noticed you said Adhd. Conlon has been great for meds, but for behavioral strategies, you'll need to consult a psychologist or behaviorist. I like Cheryl Holland at ITS for solid strategies.

So Holland and Thomas work in the same practice? I can never keep psychiatrists and psychologists straight - can one not prescribe meds? We've been hit or miss with the ADHD meds so far. We might want to look into that further, but we really want to explore behavior mod for DC's issues - impulsive, oppositional, over-emotional. Would you recommend Holland for that?

[Anonymous]

I agree, "crazy"- what does that mean?-- Certainly not what you described.

[Anonymous]

The other thing- most people are pleased that the appointment takes forever, especially given the current state of the health care system. Most psychiatrists want you to be in and out- cash practice or not. Furthermore, how can you say nothing was accomplished? It takes time for the doctor to get to know your child. Things dont improve over night. This woman has an incredible amount of experience- have you ever looked at her bio.

[Anonymous]

Pp here. Do what you want -- go see her. We saw her several times -- not just once -- and nothing was accomplished. My kid has had several therapists of all types, PT,OT, ST, dev ped, you name it -- and nearly all established a better rapport with our kid and us in much less time (we ended up working with them longer of course. In most cases, years.).

I know her resume is great. But I'm telling you, this woman was the only practioner we have seen in this journey with our sn kid -- the only one I would describe as a waste of my time. She's very nice; I hold no grudge against her. Our insurance covered the visits very generously because she was still at children's. I'm just giving my honest opinion. Take it or leave it.

[Anonymous]

I'm the OP. I haven't been the one arguing with you. I'm just seeking names of doctors and therapists you DO like, if you don't like Thomas. Holland has been mentioned. Who else for behavior/ADHD issues? Thx.

[Anonymous]

Alvord Baker (in Silver Spring and Rockville) is a practice of psychologists who do behavior modification. It is hit or miss, depending on who you get. The person we got didn't work for us but I have a friend who loves them. I don't know the psychiatrist you are referring to but I don't think that you can expect a psychiatrist to advise you on behaviors -- their area of expertise is medication. Some do therapy as well but most are experts in how the medications work, etc. There was even an article recently in the NYT with an older psychiatrist lamenting that he can't do therapy anymore and all he does is prescribe due to insurance rules, etc. We see an excellent psychiatrist who tries to advise on behavior but all she does is suggest magic 1-2-3 over and over (which doesn't work for us either). I think that it is important that the psychiatrist "get" your child so that he/she can understand exactly what is going on and prescribe the right medicine. But if you aren't going the medicine route, you are much better off with a behavioral psychologist. Or, depending on the issues, you may need both.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Alvord Baker (in Silver Spring and Rockville) is a practice of psychologists who do behavior modification. It is hit or miss, depending on who you get. The person we got didn't work for us but I have a friend who loves them. I don't know the psychiatrist you are referring to but I don't think that you can expect a psychiatrist to advise you on behaviors -- their area of expertise is medication. Some do therapy as well but most are experts in how the medications work, etc. There was even an article recently in the NYT with an older psychiatrist lamenting that he can't do therapy anymore and all he does is prescribe due to insurance rules, etc. We see an excellent psychiatrist who tries to advise on behavior but all she does is suggest magic 1-2-3 over and over (which doesn't work for us either). I think that it is important that the psychiatrist "get" your child so that he/she can understand exactly what is going on and prescribe the right medicine. But if you aren't going the medicine route, you are much better off with a behavioral psychologist. Or, depending on the issues, you may need both.

Very helpful distinctions, thx.

[Anonymous]

I know this is 6 months+ after the fact --- but I completely agree with the person who thought Dr. Thomas was crazy. She was recommended to us by our pediatrician, and she spent more time with my DH and I than with our child . . .in the sense that she said she wanted to work with us on couples issues (we are divorced and get along and agree on coparenting issues) as well as our son. That was really weird . . we were not seeking therapy for ourselves . .but psychiatric treatment for our son. Then she misdiagnosed our son completely. We decided that we did not trust her with our son, and left her a message saying we were ending our relationship with her. After that, she began calling my house multiple times, leaving messages that said she apologized for her actions, begging us to come back, and offering a number of sessions gratis as an apology. I have never had any medical professional call my house repeatedly leaving bizarre messages. Needless to say, I never called back.

When i mentioned this experience with Dr. Thomas to another child psychiatrist, he told me that he had worked with her at Children's Hospital and that his experience was that she had definite cognitive problems . . she would completely forget what a patient told her, and ask the same questions over and over. After this very reputable psychiatrist told me his experiences working with Dr. Thomas, I knew that my assessment of her was on the mark. Avoid her at all costs.