Dr. Vanderbilt William Robison, DO

My experience with Dr. Robison has been nothing but positive. He listens carefully and intently. I’ve seen him several years now and I’m more calm with his care than without it. In my opinion a one star rating is inaccurate, but can’t please everyone.

Dr. Vanderbilt Robison was the worst psychiatrist with whom I have ever had appointments. In my life I saw two others that were not good but not nearly as awful as him, two that were good, and one that was great; so I do have something of a comparison base. I have also seen a number of excellent therapists as I have lived a long number of years, and I know and respect the differences between what psychiatrists and psychologists/therapists do professionally. (I mention this because bad psychiatrists will occasionally try to use the common occurrence of patients not understanding the differences between the two professions to falsely explain patient dissatisfaction. This was not an issue for Dr Robison and me, but I wanted to remove that concern for any reader of this.) Dr. Robison literally substantially added to my trauma by twice misdiagnosing me and by being mildly threatening when he became frustrated.) He seemed to want to fit me into a box of what he easily comprehended, glossing… over important data I shared with him that proved to be very helpful to a very good psychiatrist who I luckily saw later. I consider Dr. Robson to be somewhat unintelligent, cruel, and at times confrontational. I am typically in the camp of “if you have nothing good to say, say nothing at all”, so it is unusual for me to give a bad review, but I wish I had read one like this and never have met him. It hurts me to write something that might negatively affect one’s professional success and happiness as I do not wish him or anyone anything negative, but morally I feel it is my obligation to warn others that he treated me so poorly and negatively impacted my psychological health significantly. He seemed to be insecure and conducted himself unprofessionally. He was either inattentive to detail or intentionally dishonest at one point. I think he probably means well, but exhibited insecurity and emotionally immaturity in a slightly verbally aggressive way. He acted overly proud and inappropriately passionate. (I don’t mean romantically or sexually; I mean in terms of showing frustration and impatience.) I genuinely hope he finds an occupation that brings him joy, at which he excels, and that is lucrative for him. I would say he has some skill due to training and experiential knowledge as he did know some things, but those high points were diminished by some of his personal characteristics and intellectual limitations in very tangible ways that I suffered. Accordingly, I can not in good conscience recommend him. If you’re reading this, you are likely needing to find someone to help you with your mental health. Please do not give up, and if you have some bad experiences with psychologists and psychiatrists, please know there are very good ones out there too, and many people do get better or find ways to manage their mental health. Be resilient and creative. I found a great psychiatrist by asking a genesight testing company which doctors use them, for example. I’m a big fan of science! Read reviews. Different therapists’ styles resonate differently with different individuals. Don’t give up if a few are not a match for you, and listen to your gut. Do not be ashamed! You are valuable and worthy, and you can get better.