Friedel Robert O MD

Absurdly enough, I am actually still under Dr. Friedel’s «care». I had what I hope shall be my last appointment with him this morning. This should give you a good concept of what our doctor-​patient relationship is like; I was threatened to not be treated for my other diagnoses (anxiety and ADHD) if I refused to continue my use of an atypical antipsychotic. Some doctors may think, «well hey that’s logical; it’s a mood stabilizer and suddenly quitting it may cause a drastic shift in moods brought on by use of Dextroamphetamine and Clonazepam». The problem is that I do not need my mood stabilized and do not suffer from Bipolar I or Schizophrenia. I came to Friedel randomly through my healthcare plan after being wait-​listed by a multitude of other practices around a year ago. My issue was (at the time) severe anxiety/​panic disorder and an overhanging fog of depression. I revealed during one of my first visits that my deceased father had suffered from bipolar disorder and clinical depression throughout his life. I suspect that Friedel is very out of date in respect to what and how he prescribes medication. I also woefully believe that there is some monetary causation behind the treatments he pursues, brand new name brand (predominantly not generically available yet) drugs which are jubilantly advertised throughout the mansion that houses his practice. To make a long story short, he latched onto the concept that he could treat me for something, even though he will not tell me my diagnosis, that can be overcome by atypical antipsychotics. He blatantly REFUSES to address my actual remaining (central) problem; depression. For some reason SSRIs are completely out of the question. I don’t understand why this man will not believe that I know what I am experiencing… despite the fact that I inhabit my own mind and body last time I checked (but maybe I’m schizophrenic and wouldn’t know better!). To be fair, after leading me through an obstacle course, I was prescribed something for my anxiety and the elusive ADHD I have unknowingly battled since childhood. However these pharmaceuticals that have greatly improved my wellbeing are the leverage he uses to keep me on his preferred treatment — Latuda (previously Abilify). Keep in mind that both of these are in the $ 100 to $ 200 range after my mother’s insurance takes care of a REMAINING $ 1,000 or so. I should have known that this man was no good when my medication was stolen at work on a construction job with a bunch of unsavory coworkers and he compared my circumstances to that of a rape victim in the sense that they are «more-​often-​than-​not asking for it».

I went to Dr. Friedel because he is a ” leading expert of borderline personality disorder ”. I also was seen at the Nelson clinic at VCU. I spent 5 years over medicated (9+ at one time), in and out of hospitals, and often would be treated by an intern while Friedel supervised. He did not seem to care for my well being, and seemed to favor older drugs like Lithium or Navane to newer medications. I have since been taken off all medications, except anxiety medicine for panic attacks and sought out therapy. I have not be hospitalized since. Please use caution with this doctor and research all medications, including their approval for off label use. I wouldn’t reccomend this doctor to my worst enemy.

I went to Dr. Friedel for several years, because he was the local expert on Borderline Personality Disorder, and I had good insurance while I had a good job. I actually saw him at the Nelson Clinic at VCU Health Center, not the Monument location that’s listed. I was having trouble at work, and was hoping therapy would help me keep my job.
When you see Dr. Friedel, I can almost guarantee two things: you will be on 3 – 5 medications within a few months, and you will have to buy and read his book. This was the shared experience that I and several other patients had. I can honestly say that the book was way more helpful than the medications, or the face time with him personally. He is very polite and pleasant, but doesn’t seem very invested, I’m guessing because he has so many patients. If you see him at VCU like I did, you will be speaking to a student half the time, and he cancels appointments pretty often too, which sucks because usually you can’t reschedule anything that isn’t at least a month out, if not longer. I had to wait 3 months to see him once. And if you suffer from things like panic attacks, which require being able to reach your doctor at different times between appointments, GOOD LUCK. They guard his cell phone number like the Hope diamond, and don’t even want to give out the number for his other office (he is only at the VCU location on Mondays). So if you need a refill or have a medication problem, he won’t get the message until the following Monday, and usually it’s the student who calls you back and says they can’t change your medications without talking to Friedel, who is apparently not available.
I felt like the medications weren’t really doing anything, and when I told him I didn’t feel like the 5 medications I was taking were doing much, or could do much more for me, he recommended that I go to Henrico Mental Health and start the DBT program. This was probably the best advice he ever gave. I lost my job, lost my income and insurance, and consequently stopped seeing him and quit all my meds cold turkey. I went over to Henrico and started the DBT program, and DBT has made MUCH more of a difference in how I handle conflicts and stress than any of those medications he gave. If you have borderline, consider doing DBT, which is about learning practical skills for handling common conflicts and practicing impulse control, before going to this expert, who is so important he’s never around.
UPDATE: Upon graduating from the DBT program, an exit evaluation ascertained that I no longer meet the criteria for Borderline Disorder. In other words, without medication, this behavior-​based program eliminated the disorder. I never thought that anything in the mental healthcare field could accomplish anything. I am sharing this information because I’m guessing folks with borderline are reading this, and I really think DBT will help you.