I have established this website with two goals in mind. Firstly, it is to introduce myself and my practice to individuals who are contacting me for the first time. Secondly, I wanted to create a forum in which I can address certain topics that I hope will be of interest to the reader. In the topics section, my goal is not to provide in-depth reviews. It is rather to offer some observations or opinions about the topics that issue from my long experience and may not be readily apparent to the reader.
I thank Scott and Mark of Scott Briefer Design for their excellent expert professional help designing this website and for their ongoing help as I add to it.
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My role as a psychiatrist is to arrive at a diagnosis and understanding of an individual’s problem(s), and to devise a course of treatment. Diagnosis of psychiatric disorders is however often a complex process. For most children and adolescents referred to me, I begin by getting a detailed history from parents or other caretakers, interview their child, and then discuss my findings and recommendations with parents or caretakers. Each one of these steps usually requires a session of about an hour. I can usually arrive at a sufficient understanding of a child’s problem(s) using this format. The diagnostic process is often supplemented by my reading reports of previous evaluations and/or, when appropriate, talking to staff at the child’s school.
When my task is to evaluate an adult for ADHD or depression, an interview – or interviews – with the individual is usually sufficient. When an adult seeking an evaluation for Asperger’s Disorder consults me, I inform the individual that I usually begin with an interview of an hour and a half. I also note that interviewing someone who knows the referred individual well (e.g. parent, spouse or close friend) is very helpful in arriving at a diagnosis. However, I cannot tell in advance of seeing the referred individual how important talking to a collateral person will be in clarifying the diagnosis.
The information that I want to gather includes problems that an individual has in relating to and communicating with others in the present and in the past. Sometimes it is clear from the interview with the referred person, by his or her history and current problems that the diagnosis is – or is not – Asperger’s Disorder. In some cases, speaking to close family members and / or friends greatly clarifies the diagnosis. I have found that when an individual is referred to me, and that individual is married, or in a long-term relationship with another adult, that it sometimes makes sense to interview them together as long as both partners are comfortable with doing so. Please understand that I do not want to involve others if it will strain relations or cause discomfort to the referred person or others.
I thank Scott and Mark of Scott Briefer Design for their excellent expert professional help designing this website and for their ongoing help as I add to it.
I completed my psychiatric training at the NYU School of Medicine and currently am a Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at that institution. Over the past 29 years, my professional time has been split between my private practice and my work at Bellevue Hospital Center. Much of the time at Bellevue was spent as head psychiatrist on the Child Inpatient Unit. I left that full-time position in 2000 to take a part-time position in a Bellevue clinic so that I could devote more time to my private practice. Working two positions is challenging but I greatly value my ongoing work at NYU / Bellevue as my time with colleagues there, whether in formal conferences or in day-to-day contacts, help to keep my knowledge base up-to-date. I also enjoy my roles in teaching and supervising residents in psychiatry and child psychiatry.
I consider myself to be an experienced and knowledgeable clinician and psychopharmacologist. The feedback I get from colleagues, patients and families supports this. I follow many individuals for their medication and some in ongoing therapy. Although the children and adolescents I see in my practice have problems that run the range of many psychiatric disorders such as ADHD, anxiety disorders and mood disorders, I have sub-specialized in the area of the Pervasive Developmental Disorders, otherwise known as Autistic Spectrum Disorders. This focus has come about as a result of my experience at NYU / Bellevue and my private practice. I evaluate and treat many individuals who are diagnosed within the “Spectrum”. This includes many adults who were not accurately diagnosed as children mainly because the diagnosis of Asperger’s Disorder was not widely recognized until the last 10 – 15 years.
When I am first contacted by a referral, we often get into some discussion of how I proceed with evaluation. Following are some of the points that I usually address, more-or-less briefly on the phone. This website allows me to offer information in somewhat more depth and will hopefully aid readers and potential patients with answers to questions they have about the diagnostic process and my practice.
I consider myself to be an experienced and knowledgeable clinician and psychopharmacologist. The feedback I get from colleagues, patients and families supports this. I follow many individuals for their medication and some in ongoing therapy. Although the children and adolescents I see in my practice have problems that run the range of many psychiatric disorders such as ADHD, anxiety disorders and mood disorders, I have sub-specialized in the area of the Pervasive Developmental Disorders, otherwise known as Autistic Spectrum Disorders. This focus has come about as a result of my experience at NYU / Bellevue and my private practice. I evaluate and treat many individuals who are diagnosed within the “Spectrum”. This includes many adults who were not accurately diagnosed as children mainly because the diagnosis of Asperger’s Disorder was not widely recognized until the last 10 – 15 years.
When I am first contacted by a referral, we often get into some discussion of how I proceed with evaluation. Following are some of the points that I usually address, more-or-less briefly on the phone. This website allows me to offer information in somewhat more depth and will hopefully aid readers and potential patients with answers to questions they have about the diagnostic process and my practice.
My role as a psychiatrist is to arrive at a diagnosis and understanding of an individual’s problem(s), and to devise a course of treatment. Diagnosis of psychiatric disorders is however often a complex process. For most children and adolescents referred to me, I begin by getting a detailed history from parents or other caretakers, interview their child, and then discuss my findings and recommendations with parents or caretakers. Each one of these steps usually requires a session of about an hour. I can usually arrive at a sufficient understanding of a child’s problem(s) using this format. The diagnostic process is often supplemented by my reading reports of previous evaluations and/or, when appropriate, talking to staff at the child’s school.When my task is to evaluate an adult for ADHD or depression, an interview – or interviews – with the individual is usually sufficient. When an adult seeking an evaluation for Asperger’s Disorder consults me, I inform the individual that I usually begin with an interview of an hour and a half. I also note that interviewing someone who knows the referred individual well (e.g. parent, spouse or close friend) is very helpful in arriving at a diagnosis. However, I cannot tell in advance of seeing the referred individual how important talking to a collateral person will be in clarifying the diagnosis.
The information that I want to gather includes problems that an individual has in relating to and communicating with others in the present and in the past. Sometimes it is clear from the interview with the referred person, by his or her history and current problems that the diagnosis is – or is not – Asperger’s Disorder. In some cases, speaking to close family members and / or friends greatly clarifies the diagnosis. I have found that when an individual is referred to me, and that individual is married, or in a long-term relationship with another adult, that it sometimes makes sense to interview them together as long as both partners are comfortable with doing so. Please understand that I do not want to involve others if it will strain relations or cause discomfort to the referred person or others.