Monteith Doug MD

Crook. Liar. Cheat. Quack.

My mother was diagnosed by Dr. Monteith with dementia. When I talked to him about her daily weeping which occurred promptly at 3:00 in the afternoon, he prescribed ½ of an Ativan. At one point, we were leaving his office and he saw her begin her bout of despair. We left with her crying as I pushed her wheelchair out of his office.
My complaint — ½ of an Ativan is like giving half an aspirin for a broken leg. Was he afraid that at age 95 she’d get addicted? Did he seem uncaring? Yes.
I regret to this day I did not consult a psychiatrist who cared about geriatric patients.

Wretched. I went to his office to confirm an initial diagnosis on a fairly moderate case of depression, and within five minutes he told me I had something else entirely, wrote me a prescription, and told me to leave. When I tried to ask him about possible side effects, he shoved me out the door with a «Well, the pharmacist will explain it.» Asked the pharmacist. It turns out the medicine he prescribed is known to react badly with the birth control I take, which I’ve been on for four years, and which was in my medical file. The dose he prescribed me was also far higher than the medicine should be started at. I went to a different psychiatrist. Yep, mild to moderate depression, and a completely different medication at a far lighter dosage. I wouldn’t go back to Dr. Monteith for any reason.

There’s nothing I loathe more than a «professional» who feels the need to B.S. their way through life. Dr. Monteith seems to be misunderstood as a doctor and as a person. I appreciate his straight-​forward and honest approach. When it comes to medicine and mental health, honesty and loyalty conquers all.
I recently went on a trip for 4^th of July weekend and suffered from a severe anxiety/​panic attack during my flight to Oregon. I tried contacting my general doctor and Dr. Monteith. I left a message at Dr. Monteith’s office knowing he was out of the office and out of town for the holiday.
He responded within 24 hours with a thoughtful voicemail and the direct number to his pager. He made himself available during his much deserved personal time! His loyalty and prompt communication will have a forever lasting affect on me as a patient!

@Kimberly H., I had a similar experience with DR. DAVID A. HIRSCH. I’m glad I came across your review as I was looking for a better choice. Apparently, Monteith is not it!

Well, I saw Dr. Monteith for almost two years. When Dr. Monteith is good, he is GOOD. He is thoughtful and smart and caring and you actually feel heard and understood. Overtime he has said things that have stuck with me and truly helped me with the trauma of losing my brother to suicide.
That all being said, when this man doesn’t get his way, feels irritated, finds out that you have not either a) been 100% compliant (that stats on compliance with meds show that if you are in this field you must be able to deal with some compliance issues — i had one) b) surprise him in any way 3) misunderstand your directions this, professional doctor will throw a full blown temper tantrum! He will yell. He will lecture and he will treat you like a child. The first two time this happened, I let it go. He is human and we all have bad days. The third time, I decided to seek a new doctor.
This man could be one of the best in his field, if he could get control of his temper. Instead, I really believe he should not be seeing clients at all. He should write books and give talks for the pharmacological companies. I am sure there is a way this man can make a living without dealing with people who are seeking help and may have sensitive dispositions.
I am sad to leave Dr. Montieth, but I am mostly worried about his career. I hope he can find a way to improve his temper, because when there is care coming from this man, it feels real. I think he wants to help people, but just can’t deal with the real live issues of his profession. All M.D.s deal with compliance issues. All M.D.s deal with surprises.
I am a full grown educated adult woman and I refuse to be treated like a little child. I don’t even treat my children the way this man has treated me and other patiences I have spoken to.
********i know there have been many reviews written about this doc. i actually wrote a glowing review a long time ago. i am a little suspicious that those other reviews are not here!!! what is going on? did he get them removed?

So, your insurance sucks, and you’ve been spent to Dr. Monteith. You might even be like me: 27 years old and sent to a geriatric psychiatrist.
Dr. Monteith doesn’t ask personal questions. He has a computer program that tells him what to ask, like a choose-​your-​own-​adventure book. How’s your appetite? How are you sleeping? Thoughts of suicide? Thoughts of hurting yourself or others? Same questions every appointment. He fills in his little multiple-​choice bubbles, and the computer tells him what comes next. Diagnosis? Meds?
He spends more time looking at the computer screen than the patient. It was like having a Facebook application for a psychiatrist.
I went to Dr. Monteith for about two years. At my last appointment (before I switched to a psychiatrist with which I am thrilled), there was no receptionist on duty. I sat in the waiting room for about 45 minutes trying to decide whether or not the doctor was actually there. Finally, Dr. Monteith came out, checked the sign-​in, looked up at me, and said «…are you, Erin?» After all that time as his patient, he wasn’t sure who I was.
You know what’s sad? The guy is a geriatric psychiatrist. Most of his patients are older people who don’t know that there are better psychiatrists out there.
Anyway, please, pick another doctor. If your insurance says that this is the guy you have to go to, tell them that you know they have a list with at least ten other options within your coverage plan. They DO have that list.