Dr. Craig Victor Lichtman, MD

A nightmare. He needs psychiatric care more than his patients. Never experienced anything so horrifying with any medical professional. Stunned he is still allowed to practice.

The worst. An absolute nightmare. He needs psychiatric care more than his patients. A frightening experience that I hope I never encounter again with any medical professional.

My visit was a complete waste of time and money. Do yourself a favor. Find another doctor.

Bad

Dr. Lichtman has no bedside manner whatsoever. I am having cognitive and speech difficulties, and he chastised me during the appointment for procedural things I did incorrectly, as well as my wording. He did the opposite of putting me at ease, and yet he expected me to open up and share in a time-crunched setting. Both consult visits with him were a waste of my time and money.

Cold and without compassion. His voice maintains a single tone as he tells you how you are going to receive his therapy. I felt as if working "with" him was impossible as he is unable to work with some who doesn't immediately understand what he's saying after the first go. He refused to understand where I was coming from and would only see things his way. Yes, he seems intelligent on the surface, but two times he used this intelligence--in my eyes-- for his own ends. He shamed me into not taking notes during our first session and trying to manipulate me into going to a second session with his so that we could "talk" over a basic element of his practice(which he said we had already gone over in our first session, there's a reason why I take notes) that most psychiatrists advertise openly. The first evaluation he was 15min late and it didn't even go for the full hour that he said it should have gone. I couldn't recommend this doctor to someone who needs a compassionate and caring… therapist who cuts through the fog, gets to the chase, and helps you understand yourself.

I saw Dr. Lichtman about 5 or 6 times for symptoms of acute anxiety and depression. His manner was stiff and formal and I never felt comfortable with him. He did not ever smile or attempt to put me at ease. His feedback to me was framed critically and without much sensitivity. At each session I felt that we were both spinning our wheels because he could not relate to where I was emotionally. Also, due to being very anxious, I had difficulty processing his instructions on where to wait for the appointment, whether to knock on the waiting room door, etc., and he rebuffed me for my inadequacies. I certainly tried to respect his rules but I was having a difficult time concentrating. Dr. Lichtman does make himself available for timely appointments and responds to telephone calls. I believe he does care about his patients, and that he is very smart. However, I felt that his behavior towards me did not reflect compassion or an appreciation for what I needed to help me through a… difficult time. Overall I did not feel any therapeutic alliance . What is worse, he added to my already doubtful feelings that anyone can help me, since I clearly failed at his form of therapy. Nonetheless, I will try again. I am now looking for another psychiatrist who may be a better match in terms of empathy and communication.