Dr. Sternberg treated me for about two years. He went to Yale, is very intelligent and enjoyable to be around, and has a way of approaching treatment that always made me feel everything was understandable and fixable -- even and especially when I was most anxious, depressed, etc.
He has a very casual and conversational style of dealing with patients and I can't think of a time I called and he didn't answer. He takes notes, remembers what's going on, and you get the feeling he's your friend. I never felt like just another patient on the calendar, which can definitely happen with psychiatrists.
I have BiPolar Disorder, ADD, and mild OCD.
Getting medicated for these sorts of conditions can be a really tricky and unpredictable thing. It's very important to go about it with a doctor who (1) Is Smart, (2) Listens, and (3) Cares. You get all three with Dr. Sternberg.
I loved that Dr. Sternberg didn't have a God-Complex about him. A lot of doctors -- especially psychiatrists -- approach treatment with too much confidence that they know exactly what's going to work and what isn't. This was never an issue. He said things like, "Let's try X medication at Y dosage and see how it goes." Then, if I had side-effects that I complained about, we'd discuss it and try another until finding the best fit.
We had to try a few anti-depressants out before landing on the one I'm still taking (Wellbutrin). It takes a great doctor to approach treatment from a humble position, being willing to take your actual experience into account and having the good sense to know that while a good doctor can approximate what's going to do the trick, a great doctor is willing to change the gameplan if it's not working out as expected.
I can't stress highly enough how important it is to find a good psychiatrist if you're being medicated for anything notable. Otherwise, it can be a crap shoot; and when you're taking drugs that alter your mood and personality in notable ways, you need to make sure you're working with an expert who is actually invested in your well-being. Dr. Sternberg is one of the good ones.
The only con I can think of is that he seems to have a lot of patients, and it can be a little hard to schedule with him for this reason. Sessions also tend to get interrupted by other patients. But that's a good problem to have at the end of the day, because a doctor that takes you in and takes your calls is the kind of doctor you want to have... and of the sort that seems to be a dying breed.
He ends every exchange with the signoff: "Be well." And I can tell he means it.
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I don't think Dr. Sternberg would mind if I plugged my show here. It's called TriPolar and is about mental health. If you're reading reviews on psychiatrists you're probably the target demographic... I made the show about a year after being diagnosed with my conditions -- to help dismantle stigmas, advance understanding, and help people dealing with mental health challenges realize they're not alone and that there's hope if you stay hopeful.
Here's the website: TriPolarPodcast.com.
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