Ulla K Laakso, MD

horrible experience...she has the bedside manner of a wolverine and her staff is extremely rude. she is robotic, has no empathy and i wouldnt recommend her to my worst enemy...she put me on medicine

Dr. Laakso is NOT a therapist. She simply works to adjust your medicine. She worked wonders for me. I came in as a huge ball of anxiety and she decreased one med and increased the other. She also

I find it extremely disturbing that this woman is still practising, she is very dangerous.She misdiagnosed me with bipolar disorder about ten years ago and prescribed medication which was very detrimental to my health and well being. What does it take to have rogue practitioners like this put out of practice I see on another website that she has a couple of malpractice settlements, one with a larger than average payout, but with the number of people that she has harmed over the years she really should have had her license revoked. Please, please do not go to this doctor, even if you have been referred to her, she should be avoided at all costs.

I am saddened to read that other people have had the same HORRIBLE experience that I had with this woman, who should not be allowed to call herself a doctor in my opinion. I was looking through some old paperwork and found a prescription she wrote me back in 2007 for yup, you guessed it DEPAKOTE. I googled her today to check up on her, hoping that she had been forced out of practice by now. But, no, I see that she is still taking advantage of people who are suffering and vulnerable and coming to her for help. When I went to her, I had been on Zoloft for years prescribed by my General Practitioner but I decided I wanted to get a \"real psych doctor`s\" opinion because it seemed like the Zoloft wasn`t working as well as it had been and I was quite depressed about some recent physical injuries that were bad enough for me to have to take disability leave from my job. On my first visit, after having me sit in a room by myself, watch a video, and fill out a survey, and then meet with her for maybe 5 minutes, she also MISDIAGNOSED me as BIPOLAR and prescribed me Depakote. She also prescribed me RESTORIL, as I was having trouble sleeping, and told me I needed to dramatically change my sleep schedule and start going to sleep at 900PM. Like others, I guess I was so desperate and she seemed credible enough that I gave it a try. It was a disaster. Horrible side effects - nausea, dizziness. I was much worse off than before I saw her and could not function for days. It seems like she is doing some kind of study for herself or the pharma company that makes Depakote perhaps Thank god I have since found a real doctorpsychiatrist who takes the time to sit and talk with me for 45 minutes each time and works in partnership with my therapist to make an accurate diagnosis I actually have chronic depression & anxiety and prescribe the proper medications. I can`t remember how I found out about her but it was really one of the most TRAUMATIC experiences of my life. She may have helped some other people, but just please BE WARNED, be cautious, get a second opinion, and know that there are other well-qualified doctors out there who won`t push their own agenda on you.

You will walk into her office, impressed by her pedigree, office decor and full of hope. You will meet her, she won`t allow you to speak. Instead, she will ask you a list of questions about your family`s history of mental illness- convinced that everyone in your family has mental illness. Even though you are barely allowed to speak, she will declare that she has the perfect solution for you. Then, you will watch a video tape that is all about bi-polar disorder. I`ve never been diagnosed with that before. Despite never having exhibited symptoms of mania, you will walk out with a prescription for Depakote ER, which is used to treat bi-polar, especially controlling the \"mania\" which I never had. She will often prescribe a cocktail of other drugs to go along with it. She is convinced of her treatment despite the fact that you are barely allowed to describe how you feel. Depakote is a strong drug and I would caution against taking it unless you truly have bi-polar. I left the office, and never went back. Second opinion... next!

I would give her a negative number, but that is not availble.This woman should not be practicing as a doctor. She has no interest in treating her patients. I agree with the below remarks concerning her only diagnosis being for bipolar. She took me off my previous medication and put me on a medicine treatment for bipolar. We went over how I do not have bipolar disorder several times. I have never been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but being a trusting patient who was referred by a doctor she likes who will be told to update her referral list not to include this woman I took the new medication. I had severe side effects. I thought it was just stress, until the effects were so bad I could barely walk around my room without feeling so dizzy and tingle-ridden that I called her office to see what I should do. Well that was no help. She says to only call 911 if the office hours are closed. My effects were bad, but not 911 costs bad I would just need to know to stop taking it. She only had a number for physicians to reach her after hours, so I called that number. Nothing for over a day. I called my aunt who is a psychiatrist and thankfully she was able to help me. I had to immediately stop taking the medication. She said it was wrong for a psychiatrist not to have a doctor on call on the weekends and a line for messages to always be checked despite office hours being closed. I truly believe had I continued the medication my effects would have made me become bipolar. This woman needs to review the Hippocratic oath and DO NO HARM! RUN RUN RUN away and do not ever look back if you even consider seeing her. DO NOT be fooled by her awards all over her office praising her as \"best this\" and \"best that\". She must have gotten it all done at Kinko`s. I will now be seeking treatment elsewhere and pray that I NEVER have to have that bad of an episode again.

I`ve been seeing Dr. Laakso since 1996, during which time she`s been extremely helpful, professional, and knowledgeable. She has helped me enormously.I went to her when I was hopelessly depressed and, as it turns out, `clinically`, and the medications she prescribed turned my life around for the better. Had I known Dr. Laakso in my 20s and early 30s, and been able to take the medications she prescribed, I might have lived a more fulfilling and `successful` life much earlier. I was wholly open to her interpetations of my illness after describing it for about 5 minutes, she said, \"I think I can tell you the rest of your symtoms,\" and then did so, with 100 accuracy, even to the time of early morning I would suddenly awake with a jolt and be unable to return to sleep. I recommend her highly most of the happiness I have known in the second half of my life, I owe to her. By the way, In regard to some of the comments here, Dr. Laakso did not, and never has, diagnose me as bi-polar.

after reading all the outrageous reviews online, im stunned that she`s still treating patients. I had the worst experience with her, similar to the other complaining patients. After i informed her at my first visit that i was on lexapro for years and was feeling fine, she nevertheless proceeded to decrease my dose and told me she had no replacement plan but we would see after i was off lexapro. Questioned further, she recommended various drugs generally prescribed for bipolar disorder, which i never had and schizophrenia, which i also notably do not have. I got out of there as fast as I could and I see now how lucky I was to terminate treatment with her before she completely destabilized me with her incompetent medical advice. Question is, how is she still allowed to treat patients Most of the other patients I encountered in her waiting room behaved like zombies and her staff is rude and of very low intelligence.

Since so many others have put their reviews in of Dr. Laakso, I must say I am not surprised at some of what I see here. Have been seeing her for the better part of a decade, tried TWICE to find other

Everyone she sees gets a bipolar diagnosis and treatment with depakote.It's a miracle she still has a license.She's dangerous. Avoid her at all costs!

This doctor should have her license revoked. She is not compassionate at all, prescribes drugs like they are candy and changes doses and type of meds weekly. This doctor has had me on a roller coaster ride for the last year. Recently I admitted myself to a psychiatric clinic and got the help I needed, Laakso could not have been further from a correct diagnosis. What makes it worse is that she gives off a feeling of complete carelessness towards her patients. I will never ever go back to this doctor. I am well on my way to feeling much better since getting the help and diagnosis I needed. I hope this review gives you something to think about and that you dont waste a year of your life like I did.

Where do I begin not everyone is Bi-Polar but Dr Laakso thinks so, she prescibes meds like candy, the most uncaring Dr I have ever met, she does not listen to the patients concerns, but some of the most gorgeous offices I have seen, if this is what matters to you, she only prescribes meds and doesnt listen or care about a thing you have to say, the worst experience of my life and the drugs she prescribes are mostly new, guess she is in with the pharmacuticals co`s. DREADFUL and SCARY experience

I've seen Dr. Laakso for around 6 months. Average appointment is 5-10 minutes and consists of the question of how the latest med (provided by pharm reps; she confirmed only having knowledge of what pharm provides) is and then a new prescription based on that answer. She latches onto whatever she wants to hear in what you say. Chaos in home results in, "are the children not well disciplined?" My psychologist disagrees with her diagnosis (thinks ADD/ADHD) yet she responds with, "you said you weren't ADD the first time I saw you," and then continues to treat me as bipolar. Every visit is extremely stressful, from the blunt office staff to the shy-of-hostile appointment itself. At least it's short.

No follow up.Horrible mis-diagnose.Seems prejudice towards certain drugs and diagnoses.Cold personality.A factory churning out patients.Shows you a horrible video she has made instead of spending time…

Every time I see her, I can't believe she is legally allowed to practice medicine. She is a drug dealer by all definitions, not a doctor. I love having her, but feel like she is going to kill me one of these days - my pharmacist is always shocked by her combination of prescriptions, the quantity and dosage.

Quack...quack, quack, quack. This Dr. almost killed me! Medications prescribed which interacted with other medications prescribed by her! Produced life threatening side effects which necessitated

She believes in adding more meds to counteract her earlier prescriptions that were not working. I blame her for ruining over a year of my life with a total of six meds. A personal friend blames her for stealing over two years of his life. Three other patients I met think she harmed them, but not as dramatically because they left her sooner. I did meet one patient who feels she helped him. Another psychopharm told me she has a nationwide reputation among doctors of prescribing more meds than any other doctor.

I signed up for yelp simply to write a review of this doctor. I honestly believe that her negligence in listening to her patients, and her obvious drug company compensation is endangering people`s

Dr. Laakso is skilled at finding the medication that works best for a patient. However, for patients that are stable, she still requires an office visit for each prescription citing NY State Law. However, NY State Law does not require a visit for each pre

I totally agree with previous reviewers about this doctor. She does NOT listen as I spent nearly two hours of travel time from my home to her office when all I gain was less than five minutes of…

I feel awful for the people who had terrible experiences but I didn't think she was so bad. The bi-polar video is totally nuts, yes, but she takes insurance and has a nice office and a staff who…

So I was a patient of Dr. Laakso for two years. Right from the beginning she insisted I was bi-polar. She is the only doctor who has ever diagnosed me as such, and I've had easily a dozen other doctors diagnose me as having clinical depression with no t

Dr. Laakso takes most insurances, which is why she is still in business, as most decent Manhattan psychiatrists do not. She basically labels everyone with bipolar disorder, and runs a her practice like a factory. She might as well mail you the diagnosis without seeing you. Do yourself a favor and avoid Dr. Laakso at all costs. These reviews are all consistently negative with good reason.

RUN don't walk in the opposite direction from this woman. Everything said here is not only true and then some. Cookie cutter dangerous treatment. Everyone is required to watch her non Oscar…

I was referred to Dr. Laakso by another highly rated psychiatrist. She has very good commendations. Anyway, I went to see her and she made me watch a video and fill out a questionaire and I was…

I have been seeing Dr. Laakso for several years and have found her to be very pleasant, knowledgeable, and professional. While I was pregnant, we discussed weaning me off of lexapro and she indicated that it was actually very effective at small doses. I

Dr. Laakso should not be treating people because she is entirely too self-absorbed and incapable of working with others.I was happy to be able to make an early appointment with her so soon after…

Diagonosis via videotape and multiple choice test. Lots of medications. (What is her relationship with the pharmaceitical industry?) Does not lliste or pay attention. Rarely takes notes. Does not recall contents of previous visits. Typical visit is 5-10 minutes.

I saw Dr. Laakso in Jan 08 to get help weaning off Zoloft & avoid SSRI discontinuation symptoms. Her diagnostic approach is very formulaic and definitely geared towards a bi-polar diagnosis (although, she also did mention ADHD but that was in relation to

Ulla Laakso has been reviewed by many of her former patients on the ratemds website. Like many of the other patients on the Rate Your Doctor site she diagnosed me with bipolar disorder and prescribed Depokote. Since I?d taken Zoloft and Paxil in the past

This woman thinks that everyone has bipolar disorder. You can deny every bipolar symptoms in the book and you'll still leave her office with a mood stabilizer. UGH.

Seeing her no more than 4 times, Dr. Laakso put me on pretty much every medication out there. She asked if I ever had trouble sleeping. I said once in a while, since everyone does. She proceeded to…

Dr. Laakso (Ulla) is a wonderful German or Austrian doctor with great taste in clothes and a knack for finding the perfect combination of Meds to help with whatever mental illness you may be struggling with. I've been with her for four years and really tr