Dr. Devra Lynn Braun, MD

The most personable, professional and pleasant to hang out around. she will study you and let you find what bothers you, she will witness your experience but will not control it. Do not be fooled by her modesty she is extremly wise , wit, and vigilant as a therapist.

She is a control freak and expensive and not very knowledgeable.

Dr. Braun literally saved me. She is an amazing Dr. believe me when I tell you there aren't many if ANY psychiatrists out there who really care, who not only want to give you meds, but want to help you with or without them, work with you and see you succeed. She is always available if I need her, but also helps me to eventually lean on myself for the answers. I honestly don't know where I would have been without her. She is THE BEST!!!

After being misdiagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder and depression by a psychologist I was seeing for over a year, and suffering the consequences of being prescribed an antidepressant alone, Dr. Braun was able to give me an accurate diagnosis (bipolar II) the very first session we met. (Antidepressants can actually "push" those with bipolar into episodes of mania and hypomania.) I believe she was able to do this *because* she listened to my past experiences and current issues. She is firm. She is not going to simply let me purge my feelings, and then appease me. At first I resisted this, and was quite upset with her. But after several months of seeing her, I started to understand the kind of therapeutic approach she uses. In fact after googling for the specific tools she was using in our sessions, I realized she was providing the kind of therapy (dialectical behavioral therapy) that has been shown to be effective for those with borderline personality disorder and… bipolar disorder -- in randomized clinical trials. I researched this kind of therapy a bit more, and the greatest criticism of it is that it can sometimes be cold. And I don't disagree with that. But the hardline approach she has taken with me has really pushed me to think beyond my own feelings and perceived reality and to try to think more rationally -- with my "wise mind" as she would say. So far, this approach has really worked for me. It took me a while to be comfortable with it, definitely. But it has been effective and to me, that is what really matters.

While I did learn a few valuable ideas and gain some insight from this doctor, I found her to be difficult to understand (literally) at times, and unable to clearly articulate herself. Often, I found myself listening to her talk at length, not sure exactly what it she was talking about -- it became obvious to me that she did not really understand what I was telling her, often, but was giving her opinion and trying to give advice based on her assumptions. Then she would get frustrated with me when I did not agree with what she was saying, and she would realize that she had misunderstood me, and would move on to the next..... Overall, it was difficult, often, to follow her train of thought, and I would find that she had completely misunderstood what I was trying to convey. She also would get very frustrated at times, and crossed the line into, in my mind, unprofessional behavior. For example, rather than hearing what I was trying to say, she often would interrupt me abruptly, and then… would disregard what I was trying to get her to help me work through, and focus on what she perceived to be my problem. For $350 an hour (!!) I expect a doctor to at least let me explain my point of view. Just because you come from a place of privilege and went to a top notch medical school, this does not mean you have any idea how other industries work. Often she would go off on a tangent, I presume as she was trying to relate to what I was saying, and I would have no idea what she was talking about. (Ironically, she accused me of doing this once or twice -- very sharply cutting me off each time.) I felt that for $350 an hour, she should be listening more to what I had to say, rather than going on... and on... and on. I found her to be condescending, and having that air of superiority you will find from some doctors, making you feel like you are not as intelligent as they are because you did not go to medical school. She actually made critical and offensive comments about my appearance a couple of times, and made offhand comments about how neither I or my husband had been very successful in life (after she initially had told me I had done quite well for myself, considering my shoddy upbringing!). She also told me it was "too bad" I had done this or that, and that I did not do X Y or Z.... in complete contrast to what she was trying to teach me: that I should not have regrets, and second guess myself! In all, she really could not relate to me or what I was going through. Even when I would try to explain the way things worked in the world I was working in, she would just disregard my words and would continue to give advice based on her incorrect assumptions. She also seemed to take very personally my parting ways with her, and I had to listen to much criticism about this at our last session. (Next time I will save my money and just quit going!) She also made promises to help me with certain things, and then when it came time to honor that promise, I got an attitude and the run around. (Sigh. Oh really? That is unfair for you to ask me (A DOCTOR) for that. Wait, didn't you offer to do this two weeks ago? Weren't you the one telling me life was unfair and to suck it up a few weeks ago?) All in all, an uncomfortable experience. Worstly, she gave bad advice -- advice she was not qualified to give because she had no idea what she was talking about. (Maybe if she listened more than talked she would have "got" what I was trying to say.) If I had followed her advice, I would have ended up unemployed, with no health insurance. Thank GOD I changed therapists in the nick of time, and got SOUND advice from someone who took time to listen to me and had sense of how the world outside of the gilded-walls of ivy league medicine work.

I needed to switch doctors after moving into the area and chose Dr. Braun based on her background, experience, and her published papers. After two sessions I realized that her biggest talents are diagnostic expertise and patient interactions. From the first 5 minutes in her care I felt optimistic, hopeful, and understood. In only 6 weeks Dr. Braun has completely turned my symptoms around, through a mix of prescription tuning and behavioral coaching. Highly, highly recommended.