Dr. Daniel Lee Darby, MD

Helped me with treatment-resistant depression after many doctors failed. Didn't give up; persistent and skilled.

Sorry for the long message but this may be really helpful to those of you considering Dr. Darby as your psychiatrist. My mother has been seeing Dr. Darby for over 10 years now and I have been seeing him for 5 years. To those of you who doubt him based on the bad reviews I would like to give you some insight. 1) Dr. Darby is straight to the point. He doesn't sugar coat anything but by all means, he has never been insulting, some people must be sensitive on here if they think he is. 2) Yes, there will be some times where you have a long wait time because he does TAKE EMERGENCY VISITS. Which as a psychiatric patient, you should be glad he has that service and be understanding. 3) I've never known him in the whole 10 years to not listen to a patient when they say they feel a serious side effect. If you experience a normal side effect for example, I take Klonopin and it makes you sleepy, after a while that feeling will wear off and he will tell you to give your medications a chance to… work. Some do take up to 6 month to come into full effect. 4) He will and has always listened to my needs and will listen to all patients needs and concerns but he is a PSYCHIATRIST not a THERAPIST. If you feel like you need to sit a while and talk to somebody, schedule an appointment with one of his psychiatrists and they will connect with Dr. Darby to better help you. 5) He would never put a patient on unnecessary or too much medication. If he does add something, it is to help boost the effects of another medication. For example, I take Lamictal which is working good but I still felt I could be feeling better so he added Lithium and I feel GREAT now. He tried to back me off Lamictal to see if I would do great on JUST Lithium but I went backwards so I went back on Lamictal. Doctors do things for a reason and give you medications for a reason. Some people do not understand that aspect especially with mental illnesses because sometimes it can take years to find medications that work because EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT. This is explained by pharmacokinetics, which is how the body breaks down a medication and absorbs it and pharmacodynamics which is what the drug does to your body and how your body reacts to the drug. All in all, Dr. Darby is an amazing doctor and he knows what he is doing. Sometimes you may have to be open minded and say "hey, maybe he is right and I'm just being stubborn about this situation" because I know I have. You have to have faith in your doctor and know they do what they do for your best interest. On the other hand, if you really truly have had a bad experience with Dr. Darby then find another doctor. I have moved all over Hampton Roads and refuse to see anybody other than Dr. Darby. Sorry for such a long message but I was just at a loss of words at the bad ratings, but everybody has their opinions and I respect that and this is my opinion and personal experience with Dr. Darby over the last 10 years. Thank you :)

I can not believe this man has been practicing medicine as long as he has and has not been sued yet! Not only does he hop you up on a ton of drugs which your body grows dependant on, but on my 3rd visit he laughed and told me "oh, you're never going to have children by the way. Not unless you want them with birth defects." Which was just the first sign and onslaught of his incredibly awful bedside manner. The review saying that bedside manner for psychiatrists doesn't matter? Are you serious?! People under the influence of medication (and with Darby - a lot of it) need as much support as possible. They do not need a flighty jerk who just shrugs, laughs and has a "I don't care" attitude. And Darby is the demon in his field and I beg people to pass it around to stay away from him. DomPsy isn't the greatest place, but they do have some doctors there that you can find one to best suit you. It's right down the road, but trust me - it's much better than dealing with an empty shell… of a human being who is supposed to HELP people. This man sickens me and I always felt something was off the day I met him. Five visits later, I'm glad I will never see him again!

Frankly I don't like much of what I am reading on this Doctor. This worries me even more for my loved one seeing this Physician.. God help us both..

My initial appointments with Dr. Darby were professionally appropriate and did not make me uncomfortable. As time went by his behavior became erratic, he did not listen to me when I told him I felt like I was on acid after taking the prescribed medication. My husband and mother spoke to him in person and on the phone because they were concerned about my increasingly erratic state of mind. His response was to tell them I was fine, and add more medications, and increase dosages of current meds. I had a bad feeling, but naively valued his opinion more than my own. Long story short, I ended up in the hospital with toxic amounts of medication in my system, even though I had taken it as prescribed. I believe he must have been going through a personal crisis, or perhaps substance abuse became a problem. He has the capability to be a competent Psych, just trust your gut feeling.

I HAVE KNOWN MANY PHYSICIANS OVER THE YEARS AS A NURSE, DR. DARBY IS ONE OF THE MOST COMPASSIONATE AND TRULY CARES ABOUT HIS PATIENTS, BEDSIDE MANNER IS AT 100%, GETS 100% ALL THE WAY WITH MY CARE

Dr. Darby is an excellent psychiatrist. He actually listened to my thoughts and feelings about medicines I tried, results, side effects, and the diagnosis of my symptoms. He wanted my input and made me feel a part of and comfortable with his decisions for treatment. As someone else stated- he is not there to coddle or listen to all your whining- get a therapist. He does however listen when it is about the feelings and symptoms from the medicines- which makes him a great doctor. And he is friendly and makes jokes. I have been to many many psychiatrist and definitely think Dr. Darby helped me in great ways!

I was on time.Waiting patiently for 20 mins finally he call my name. I agreed with 1st reviewer. Dr Dan Darby is no interaction. He is a very cold person. Very little discussion. I felt he don't cant much about your well being.I am not wasting my time there.

I have been seeing Dr. Darby for 2 years. He is a no nonsense get to the point doctor. He is not in the office to coddle you, or anything other that a therapist would do. He's a psychiatrist. It's up to you to follow up w/ him. His directness may be misunderstood by those already having issues, to be rude. If you look for offense, you'll find it everywhere. If you are complicated and need that tlc or 1 on 1, get a therapist. Dr. Darby is a psychiatrist period. And my wait time has never been more than 15 minutes, probably because I am on time. And he spends enough time with me to make sure everything is still smooth, what else do I need to sit in there for, he's not my best friend, he's my doctor.

A pill doctor. No patient interaction or diagnostics, just goes with previous doctor's diagnosis. Little to no discussion on patient well being. A waste of time unless you just want a script.