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Derek Richardson, MD

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Psychiatrists

LifeStance Health

Stockbridge, GA

LifeStance Health

Stockbridge, GA

LifeStance Health

Stockbridge, GA

LifeStance Health

Stockbridge, GA
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Derek Richardson, MD
One World Medical
(3 Reviews)
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1129 Hospital Drive Suite 3C Stockbridge, GA 30281
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Consumer Feedback

(3 Reviews)
I had been seeing a different and wonderful psychiatrist for three years to help me cope with my depression, anxiety, and OCD. Then I had to change insurance. This is the only reason I left my previous psychiatrist and got stuck with Dr. Richardson at Kaiser. I had been on a medication regimen that took three years to perfect. I was happy, functioning, and experiencing no unpleasant side-effects. The first thing Dr. Richardson did was take away one of my anti-depressants, saying I didn't need it because I didn't "seem depressed." He took away one of my anxiolytics, saying that I "didn't need it" and that it was "easy to abuse." He threw some different meds into the mix, and those caused a marked increase in anxiety and agitation as well as bruxism and other unpleasant side-effects. He would not believe me when I told him about my previous doctor's diagnoses and said that I only "seemed to have" generalized anxiety. He did not even address my OCD, brushing it aside completely and telling me that he wanted to yank my OCD meds as well because they were "unnecessary."

He did not listen to me when I told him that the medication he put me on was causing unpleasant side-effects, like bruxism. His reason for not believing me was that it was a "rare side-effect" and that bruxism wasn't "impossible, but it's unlikely." Okay, but if your patient tells you that they ARE experiencing the rare side-effect, why would you tell them that it's unlikely that it's happening? I think I would know better than him what side-effects I was experiencing.

He is robotic, unkind, inconsiderate, and rude. He neither empathizes nor sympathizes. When I told him that I drank up to two small cups of coffee a day because I had a newborn baby, he looked at me like I had just told him that I snorted an entire eightball of cocaine prior to my appointment. He is patronizing and condescending and told me that I needed to stop drinking coffee because it would just worsen my anxiety and that I needed to "stop thinking about what feels good now, and think more about what's good for me." And this was in response to two cups of coffee. It's not like I chug a six-pack of Red Bull every day or drink an entire pot of coffee. I have maybe 12-16 fluid ounces of coffee in a work day. I had had three appointments with Dr. Richardson and he never once learned to say my name correctly, and it's not a difficult name by any means. He does not make good eye contact, but when he does the apathy he feels is clearly written across his face. He made no efforts to get to know me at all, and was only interested in what medication he could remove from my carefully curated regimen that another, much more talented and intelligent psychiatrist took pains to create over the course of three years.

Seeing Dr. Richardson only made me feel helpless and hopeless. As a result of his reckless adjustment of my medications, all the strides I had made with my previous psychiatrist were very nearly totally undone. He treated me like I was a criminal simply seeking drugs, not someone who was in a tenuous mental state who needed help.

He is careless when it comes to your mental health, and if you're actually interested in getting well I would strongly suggest that you avoid Dr. Richardson at all costs.
by A xxx.xxx.249.25
September 13, 2018
Horrible please read all reviews on this man
by bob xxx.xxx.103.26
June 18, 2015
Dr. Richardson is obviously a very intelligent person and I respect him for his accomplishment of becoming a psychiatrist. His style as a clinician, however, was not a match for me. I was referred to his outpatient services after being admitted to a psychiatric hospital for major depressive disorder with suicidal ideation and a mood disorder.

During my visit, he was obviously unfazed as I was pouring my heart out to him. He speaks in a very condescending tone and blames the patient for their inability to cope. As I was expressing my feelings to him, he told me that I am confusing my feelings with my thoughts and that he disagrees with my thoughts. I find it disrespectful for a professional to invalidate someone's emotions in such a way, even if they disagree.

At one point, he asked whether I had been physically or sexually abused. I had my mother in the room and politely asked her to leave so that I could speak with the doctor alone. After speaking with him alone about some more personal things, and admitting that I used marijuana in small amounts to cope with my mood swings, he told me (not asked) to tell my mother to come back into the room. He then questioned her and asked whether she knew about my marijuana usage (she did). This was actually a violation of HIPAA to discuss my personal health information with someone else without my expressed consent. I am 25 and my own legal guardian.

In the end, he vehemently disagreed with my marijuana usage and told me to just stop. Is this the way cessation is taught in medical school? I discussed with him the side effects I was experiencing from the drugs he prescribed, but he would not take any of that into consideration.

Overall, I do not think Dr. Richardson is a bad doctor like the other reviews. He just was not a match for me. My ideal psychiatrist would be empathetic, a good listener, and would express himself in a non-condescending manner. I am struggling with a lot, and at times I really do appreciate the non-emotional, tough love, "I'm the doctor and I already know what's best" approach. However, after being hospitalized for 5 days and experiencing the worst depression of my life, this was not the most delicate way to handle my case.

On a positive note, Dr. Richardson is very composed and did not rush my visit. I am grateful because many doctors are pressed for time.
by TuckerGA xxx.xxx.24.31
May 29, 2014
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1129 Hospital Drive Suite 3C, Stockbridge, GA 30281