Dr. Lewis Winkler -- psychiatrist

[Anonymous]

Any thoughts, impressions or experiences?

[Anonymous]

Went to him for five years. Obviously therapy is a two-way street, but Winkler is way too passive and I didn't get anywhere. He was also not at all skilled with medication management. I consider my time with him to be lost time that I'll never get back and that could have been different with a better doctor.

If you need a good psychopharmacologist, try Suzanne Griffin in Friendship Heights or Eliot Sorel downtown. If you want therapy, there are a million people...pick someone else.

[Anonymous]

Can you tell me more about medication management and "passive".

For some reason I have a bad vibe. I'm not sure why.

[Anonymous]

if you have a bad vibe, trust your instinct.

why share personal information with a dr. you get a bad vibe from?

[Anonymous]

ditto what 18:12. something's not right.

[Anonymous]

Op, state your name if you can, so we can all discuss you. Listen, this anonymous forum, I get that, however to ask opinions, not about a company, like McDonalds, but an individual can be damaging. You ask people what they think, and you will get some negative feedback, probably. It's not fair to state someone's name on one bad experience, where thousands read it. You could deter people from going there. Op, let's talk about you, I'm sure you wouldn't like that.

[Anonymous]

PP, I don't understand what you are saying.

This forum has dozens of posts about daycares, pediatricians, hair stylists, contractors, lawyers....
Are you saying that those posts should not be allowed?

What about all the other sites out there that are specifically designed for people to post their opinions and experiences abotu professionals? (droogle.com, ratemds.com, lawyers.com, angieslist.com) Should they not be allowed to exist?

IT seems incredibly useful to get feedback on a professional befroe seekingt heir services. Professionals often give out postiive references, why not seek out any negative ones?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op, state your name if you can, so we can all discuss you. Listen, this anonymous forum, I get that, however to ask opinions, not about a company, like McDonalds, but an individual can be damaging. You ask people what they think, and you will get some negative feedback, probably. It's not fair to state someone's name on one bad experience, where thousands read it. You could deter people from going there. Op, let's talk about you, I'm sure you wouldn't like that.

I'm the PP who gave Winkler a bad review. The OP's health is more important than his access to a new patient. He has many wealthy, high-paying patients and is not going to suffer one bad review. He was also very gracious when I announced my intention to switch doctors, at which time I told him the reasons why.

My problems with Winkler included: (1) his failng to make what I later learned was a rather obvious diagnosis, treatable with one commonly-known drug, for over a year; (2) his providing no input regarding what actions I should take in two toxic relationships, rather focusing on an analysis of the two toxic people and what made them tick; and (3) putting me in a situation with one medication that had severe and lasting side effects that emerged slowly and that he should have caught earlier, and that were devastating to me for about a year. In latter case of item 2, I attribute it to his background, which is more old-fashioned and Freudian. IMHO, people are better off with a psychopharmacologist paired with a good cognitive-behavioral person to help change the coping mechanisms that result from whatever psychological/psychiatric problems you're experiencing.

OP can feel free to choose Winkler and factor my anonymity into her assessment of my criticism. But she is already feeling that something's wrong. Without trust, these doctor-patient relationships don't work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op, state your name if you can, so we can all discuss you. Listen, this anonymous forum, I get that, however to ask opinions, not about a company, like McDonalds, but an individual can be damaging. You ask people what they think, and you will get some negative feedback, probably. It's not fair to state someone's name on one bad experience, where thousands read it. You could deter people from going there. Op, let's talk about you, I'm sure you wouldn't like that.

I disagree with your post. This is exactly the place where I would like to seek recommendations for this sort of thing. People do not go walking around with a sign, "please ask me about my personal experience with my psychiatrist".

I think we see opinions that are good and bad and it is up to the individual to determine if they are to follow the advice of the other posters.

This is a great resource.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, state your name if you can, so we can all discuss you. Listen, this anonymous forum, I get that, however to ask opinions, not about a company, like McDonalds, but an individual can be damaging. You ask people what they think, and you will get some negative feedback, probably. It's not fair to state someone's name on one bad experience, where thousands read it. You could deter people from going there. Op, let's talk about you, I'm sure you wouldn't like that.

I disagree with your post. This is exactly the place where I would like to seek recommendations for this sort of thing. People do not go walking around with a sign, "please ask me about my personal experience with my psychiatrist".

I think we see opinions that are good and bad and it is up to the individual to determine if they are to follow the advice of the other posters.

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.

[Anonymous]

PP, I still don't understand. Are you saying that there should not be any anonymous way to review any doctor or any individual? Does that include nannies? What about at-home daycare providers? Pediatricians? Hairdressers? Eyebrow waxers?

[Anonymous]

To the poster that is against posting about one individual person:

No one is posting slander about this doctor. They are sharing their personal experience and thoughts.

If 17:39 and 17:14 are the same poster (the OP), then he/she had a bad vibe from him and was seeking out opinions on here.

I don't see anything wrong with it, because it isn't out of hand. If someone came on here and posted all sorts of horrible things and they got way out of hand, I'm sure someone would alert the moderators so that the post could be deleted.

I went to ratemds.com (one of the sites a PP mentioned) and it's similar to the ratemyprofessor and ratemyteacher sites for teens and college students. People are allowed to post about a specific person there, while still being anonymous.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My problems with Winkler included: (1) his failng to make what I later learned was a rather obvious diagnosis, treatable with one commonly-known drug, for over a year; (2) his providing no input regarding what actions I should take in two toxic relationships, rather focusing on an analysis of the two toxic people and what made them tick; and (3) putting me in a situation with one medication that had severe and lasting side effects that emerged slowly and that he should have caught earlier, and that were devastating to me for about a year. In latter case of item 2, I attribute it to his background, which is more old-fashioned and Freudian. IMHO, people are better off with a psychopharmacologist paired with a good cognitive-behavioral person to help change the coping mechanisms that result from whatever psychological/psychiatric problems you're experiencing.

I agree completely. Also, he charges whether you attend the session or not. He seems to be focused on people in my life and what makes them tick. (perfectly said). He has no value added in sessions and lets group just talk and doesn't guide.

[Anonymous]

I saw Winkler a month ago--after 5 minutes of speaking with him, he made a vague diagnosis, instructed me to stop the antidepressant I was on (Effexor) without any plan for withdrawal, and that I was wasting my time if I was trying to get anything other than weekly psychotherapy. He said we would have to do a few sessions before he would put me on anything else (meanwhile, I would be withdrawing unaided from one of the worst antidepressants to go off). He then asked me how I had found him, and chalked my looking up psychiatrists online as a "manic episode."

He sent me on my way after those 5 minutes and told me to call if I wanted to come back for group therapy. It was a total waste of my time and I felt pretty terrible afterwards. I had forgotten about that awful experience until I got home from work today and found a bill for $300. The nerve.

[Anonymous]

Sounds like a really bad experience but you sound off base with "the nerve.". As ling as he charged you his normal rate (which you should have known) what else is he supposed to do but bill you? I saw adermatologist who was quite unpleasant and who didn't listen at all, but of course I had to pay him!