Arvind G Phansalkar

I was a patient for several years with Dr. Phansalkar. In that time he never discussed therapy or ways to manage my depression/anxiety other than to increase doses of zoloft. When I came to him I was in immediate need of help and he was the only psychiatrist taking patients that my insurance covered. If you need immediate help, he will help you (the medication stopped my depression in its tracks) but get on someone else's waiting list. Don't expect any sort of comprehensive help or options other than medication. I'm still not sure he diagnosed me correctly. He sees you literally 5 minutes out of a 15 minute meeting twice a year, and reads off a list of questions with agree/disagree responses--doesn't even take up the full 15 minutes. We tried to get off medication once, it went poorly, and he never explored anything besides increasing medication. I finally got therapist and new psychiatrist referrals from my primary care physician and wish I'd done that years earlier.

This user rated the provider, but did not write a review

This user rated the provider, but did not write a review

This user rated the provider, but did not write a review

This user rated the provider, but did not write a review

Scheduling is good. The difficulty is that Dr. Phansalkar seems to have very rigid views and black and white thinking which isn't great with mental illness since it can be such a spectrum. He also interrupts.. a lot. Fine if you absolutely need a psychiatrist immediately, but it's a good idea to look for another unless you're also a concrete black and white type of person who can give one or two word answers. Scheduling is good. The difficulty is that Dr. Phansalkar seems to have very rigid views and black and white thinking which isn't great with mental illness since it can be such a spectrum. He also interrupts.. a lot. Fine if you absolutely … More

During my intake I disclosed a history of being sexually abused as a child by my family. He was nice enough. On my second and third visits he was dismissive and presumptuous. Ex: I stated I was happy to be with my boyfriend's family because they're kind and he stated that I could have seen my family as negative due to the depression and did not seem to buy it when I said otherwise. I don't expect him to remember much about me but at least have the decency to remember that.

He took me off of my regular medication on the first visit, which was necessary, but then he put me on a different one and he says he prescribes it to everyone and it works wonders. Well I was just 5 visits in and he asked me how I was doing so I replied with "not so good". The first thing out of his mouth then was, "I have nothing for you". He will only prescribe that one mediation. He told me that I should probably seek help elsewhere. He's rude, he loads you with drugs, overall terrible!

He gave me a prescription that he told me would be safe with breastfeeding a newborn. I checked with three other doctors, and they all said it was unsafe for breastfeeding.

The other reviews on healthgrades are spot on. Dr. Phansalkar is rude and curt. He is everything you don't want in a Psychiatrist. On my second appointment I felt worse about everything in the world. What is it like to ask for help and then have to deal with someone like Dr. Phansalkar? Bad... If anyone reads this and the other comments out here do yourself a favor and do not see Dr. Phansalkar.

Initial visit was 30 minutes and a line of rapid questions. I walked out of the office with 3 types of medicines I had no clue what they were for. Totally confused and with a severe anxiety attack I ended up in the ER an hour later. If you need someone to understand you better and deeper before making a diagnosis you are better off seeking help elsewhere.

Dr Phansalkar is very brief with his patients... He takes the minimal time required to either diagnose or talk through problems with them, setting no real plan in place for treatment or temporary coping strategies. His demeanor during consultations is quick, rude and dry. His treatment style is to medicate to mediate, no more-no less. I would not recommend Dr Phansalkar to anyone.

This user rated the provider, but did not write a review

This user rated the provider, but did not write a review

This user rated the provider, but did not write a review