Looking for a Psychiatrist that specializes in anxiety

Hi, Psychiatrist only, or would you consider psychologists, etc?

My friend has a psychologist, just needs a psychiatrist that can prescribe something at this point (the referrals from psychologist didn't pan out)

when i was taking medication for anxiety, this was the doctor i saw:

michael cannella
741 Northfield Avenue West Orange, NJ 07052‎
(973) 325-6120

Hey! I saw Cannella for anxiety also.

But to be honest, I found him kind of detached and eventually went to someone else, Dr. Devendra Kurani, down on the other end of Northfield, near 280.

If you have a counselor who is not an MD, you can probably get needed prescriptions from your primary doc.

I think it depends on how severe the problem is. I suffered from pretty bad panic attacks, and I don't think my PCP was up to it. Sometimes you need the specialist.

But if it's mild, then yeah, a pcp should be able to handle prescriptions for the benzo of their choice.

sac said:

If you have a counselor who is not an MD, you can probably get needed prescriptions from your primary doc.

drummerboy said:

I think it depends on how severe the problem is. I suffered from pretty bad panic attacks, and I don't think my PCP was up to it. Sometimes you need the specialist.

But if it's mild, then yeah, a pcp should be able to handle prescriptions for the benzo of their choice.

A family member was dealing with their depression and anxiety through their regular doc. The results were bad on two levels, first the issues weren't properly dealt with and second the mix of meds was giving them some really bad side effects. It is better to see a specialist for psychiatric disorders, they are much more knowledgeable in the meds, what interacts with what, and especially when it comes to trying different meds when the first few tried don't work out or have bad side effects.

Anxiety is a common problem and a lot of good therapists could probably help you learn how to manage it. Although it does take time with talk therapy. Medication can be a huge relief for many. However, I agree with those on the board who say be careful using a GP. Not that you were asking for a GP. The good psychiatrists I know of do not have evening or weekend hours.

drummerboy said:

Hey! I saw Cannella for anxiety also.

But to be honest, I found him kind of detached and eventually went to someone else, Dr. Devendra Kurani, down on the other end of Northfield, near 280.

oh he was very milquetoast, but he was just there for meds. i had a therapist who i saw for talk therapy.

drummerboy said:

I think it depends on how severe the problem is. I suffered from pretty bad panic attacks, and I don't think my PCP was up to it. Sometimes you need the specialist.

But if it's mild, then yeah, a pcp should be able to handle prescriptions for the benzo of their choice.

gack, my prob too!!
and most doctors won't give you benzos any longer. they're too addictive. (sigh. xanax does a wonderful job)
i was on lexapro for a year. that, coupled with talk therapy with a psychologist who was an expert in panic and anxiety (shout out to julia turovsky!!!), did the trick. i am perfectly sane now. (snicker)

Soooo, nobody seems to have a psychiatrist recommendation for anxiety. I'm looking for exactly the same thing....my GP says a psychiatrist will have a much better handle on drug performance / interactions than she does.

You can try Dr. David Miller

Summit Psychiatric & Assn
28 Millburn Ave Ste 5
Springfield, NJ 07081
Phone: (973) 218-1770
Fax: (973) 376-7726

Pretty decent guy. Does have PM hours. Will return phone calls.

Oh and Bruce Friedman in Montclair is supposed to be good too. Unsure of his hours. 209 Cooper Avenue Montclair, NJ 07043
(973) 509-8400

I think all the psychiatrists handle medication for anxiety. Just go to whomever your insurance takes--probably someone at 741 Northfield. There are a herd of them there. If you want someone really good, you might have to go out of network.

Rather than asking for a recommendation, it might be easier to find out who your insurance covers, and then list those names and see if anyone has recommendations based off of that list. You can easily get 10 good recommendations here, but if none are in-network then you will not be any closer to finding an answer.

A second for Dr. Miller. He also does phone appointments for established patients.

At Summit Medical Group they have a department for this which includes a number of social worker/counselors and a psychiatrist who work together. I was already on the meds from my GP when I went there for a period of time for counseling and no med adjustment was needed, so I never ended up seeing the psychiatrist, but he was there for those who needed it.

http://www.summitmedicalgroup.com/service/Behavioral-Health-and-Cognitive-Therapy-Center/

Depending on the psych's fee, and whether or not you have PPO, you may be able to afford someone out of network. As you start to stabilize on your meds, you don't go very often. Having someone very good, gives you abetter chance of having a better experience and results. If you pm me I can give you a name or two.

gilora said:

A second for Dr. Miller. He also does phone appointments for established patients.

Third. And he's in network for UBH. And he's not down on Xanax (for @leighan)

Dr Charles Park
741 Northfield
973-325-6120

I recommend (and will be seeing next week):

You can try Dr. David Miller

Summit Psychiatric & Assn
28 Millburn Ave Ste 5
Springfield, NJ 07081
Phone: (973) 218-1770
Fax: (973) 376-7726

I appreciate all the folks putting their personal recommendations on this thread without apparent fear of stigma. What a long way we have come in the past 30-40 years.

I don't have a doctor name, just a very strong warning if you are asking for an older relative and thinking to get them anti-anxiety medications. (Which you might not be, since when I read it again, I wasn't certain, but just in case I am going to share this information.) If the medication is for a senior, it is important to you educate yourself about medications which have anti cholinergic properties because those types of medications can quickly cause dementia in the elderly and should never be used even for a short time. Unfortunately, I know that from personal experience when my mother had an accident and had to go in a nursing home (out of state) for just three weeks of rehab, they put her on Seroquel and within a month she developed dementia and they informed the family she would need life time care, this for a woman who had been living on her own and taking care of herself without any problems just the prior month! When I learned they had her on Seroquel, I made them stop. It took six months, and she was able to go back home, but she was never the same, it destroyed her memories, and basically who she was. There was an article about this and other things that can cause what looks like Alzheimer's, but is not, in the Wall Street Journal yesterday. Also, you would think the doctor's know about this, but they don't really seem to, and certainly didn't in my mother's case.

This is from the article,

Meds that Mimic Alzheimer's

Over 100 different drugs have side effects that can mimic Alzheimer's in some people. Among the most common:

Antihistimatines (Benadryl, diphenhydramine)
Sleeping pills (Ambien, Sonata)
Painkillers (Darvon, Toradol, Demerol, Naproxen, Aleve)
Anti-anxiety drugs (Valium, Librium, Halcion, Xanax)
Anti-psychotic drugs (Risperdal, Seroquel, Zyprexa)
Cholesterol drugs (Lipitor and other statins)
Older antidepressants (Elavil, Miltown, Tofranil)
Incontinence drugs (Detrol, Ditropan, Toviaz)
Acid-reflux drugs (Zantac)
Blood pressure drugs (Procardia, Adalat)
Tranquilizers (Serentil, Thorazine, Mellaril)
Heart drugs (Norpace, Lanoxin, Aldoril, Vasodilan, Cardura, Aldomet)
Stomach drugs (Bentyl, Levsin, Donnatal, Librax)
Parkinson's drugs (benztropine, trihexyphenidyl)

Source: American Geriatrics Society; Public properties.

Drugs mimicking the symptoms of dementia and drugs that CAUSE permanent dementia are two pretty different things, and I kind of doubt there are any drugs known to be in the latter category. I'm sorry about what happened to your mom, but on what basis can you claim that her permanent condition was caused by Seroquel?

here's the referenced WSJ article

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444327204577615353048888094.html

I don't mean to sidetrack the thread, but claiming that a drug can cause Alzheimer's is a pretty serious charge.

RobinM said:

they put her on Seroquel and within a month she developed dementia and they informed the family she would need life time care, this for a woman who had been living on her own and taking care of herself without any problems just the prior month!

That is really horrible Robin! Seroquel is a black box medication i.e. has a warning that it may cause death (!!!) or dementia in the elderly. It is very frequently prescribed for anxiety with depression. However this is a real sledgehammer approach.

FWIW, I took Lexapro for anxiety and depression and it worked very well when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy. I used Summit Medical Group, who are excellent, with evening hours and they take Aetna health insurance. However I'm sure any of the references above would be great too!

RobinM said:

Over 100 different drugs have side effects that can mimic Alzheimer's in some people. Among the most common:

Anti-psychotic drugs (Risperdal, Seroquel, Zyprexa)

I have an elderly relative (mid 90's) on Zyprexa for schizophrenia. The doctor acknowledged that there would be side effects, but felt that the benefits outweighed the risks. However, while the schizophrenia symptoms have abated, the relative has declined much further mentally in regards to dementia. I do NOT know if this relative is having the meds prescribed from a regular doctor or from a psychiatrist. I will definitely mention this to the other relative who is currently in charge of her care decision.

drummerboy said:

here's the referenced WSJ article

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444327204577615353048888094.html

I don't mean to sidetrack the thread, but claiming that a drug can cause Alzheimer's is a pretty serious charge.

My intent, and the gist of the article, is point out that drugs can mimic Alzheimer's, and then medical professionals and nursing homes, treat them as if they have dementia, not realizing it was a reaction to the medicine. Seroquel did not give my mother Alzheimer's, rather it gave her a form of dementia, from which she partially recovered (albeit, sadly, she was never herself again) once she was taken off it. Yet it took six months off the medicine for her to recover even that much. The important thing to remember is that with real Alzheimer's, the development of dementia is a gradual process. One does not go from independently living in the community with no prior indication of Alzheimer's to full blown Alzheimer's within a month. Doesn't happen. Seroquel cased this decline in my mother -- as I indicated in the FDA adverse reaction form I submitted back then -- and if they want to sue me for saying that, I hope they do, since truth is an absolute defense, so that more people will know. Moreover, the maker's of Seroquel settled a lawsuit with the Government for intentionally marketing Seroquel for the treatment of elderly in violation of FDA laws, had they not done so, she would never have been given the medicine in the first place (which would be another defense).

OK. I may have misunderstood the gist of your post.

Point taken.

FC_ said:

I'm also looking for a psychiatrist/psychologist for a family member going through anxiety.  But virtually every post here talks about drugs.  Is that normal?  Are there any local psychiatrists who try to treat problems without prescribing drugs?

Generally, if a person wants therapy more than drugs, psychologists are more thoroughly trained and specialize in it much more than psychiatrists these days, and their fees are lower.