Dr. Henry Irwin Elder, MD

I had several appointments with Dr. Elder for medication management. From the beginning, I was uncomfortable, and I eventually realized that I was reacting to his lack of empathy, poor listening skills, and know-it-all behavior. Fortunately, I was able to get an appointment with another psychiatrist, who was both skilled and kind.

Cares about his patients! Staff is wonderful.

Take a friend with you if you want to be treated like a human otherwise good luck!! What took my ex husband 25 years to do took this guy less then 2 months. Run and don't look back!!! Nothing but a bully!

Dr Elder was not professional in his questioning. He made me feel as though I was asking for a diagnosis in order to get drugs to sell or abuse. He made me feel awful for being there. I did get an accurate diagnosis from another clinician and was not questioned for being there. I believe Dr Elder should get out of the clinician business. He has no people skills.

I wish I would have read these reviews about Dr. Elder before seeing him. I had recently moved to town and was seeking a new Doctor, I had been seeing my old one back home for 6 or 7 years so one would assume that we had a treatment plan that worked for me figured out. This is my experience with Dr. Elder. I Filled out a very radical questionnaire about myself instead of the Doctor actually speaking to me, then went over it and acted as though I was some object in the room. I saw him six times altogether. Every time I went in I had to remind him why I was there and what we had gone over last time. Obviously he does not read his patients files before they come in. We tried a medication that I did not react well to. Upon my next visit with him he seemed very angry about this, then said that I needed to come off of my anti-anxiety medication (I have been on the lowest dose possible for 4 yrs), and said I was a drug addict and needed rehab. I then told him how I had to remind him about… how he never remembered what was going on with me and then asked how we went from trying a new medicine to coming completely off all of my medications then to him saying that I was a drug addict (he also knew I have huge issues with addicts)....he then proceeded to belittle and degrade me as a patient, customer, and human being even further. I now have to fly back home to see my old doctor because I am so afraid of something like this happening again. I will be filing an official complaint as well. This man should not be practicing psychiatry.

I've seen psychiatrists since I was about 8 and I've never had an experience like this one. In California, a practitioner like this would be out of a job. I had to drive an hour to Corvallis because my insurance doesn't cover anyone within my area. When I got there early, I was reprimanded by Dr. Elder for not having filled out an in-depth questionnaire and then asked to fill one out, which took me about 40 minutes. I had just finished taking finals and completing projects in school; more paperwork is the last thing I wanted to do. Instead of talking to me and getting to know me, Dr. Elder attempted to pick apart my answers on the form and diagnose me based on each one. I wasn't looking for a diagnosis (and if I was, this would be an interesting way to get one!), simply trying to renew a prescription I've had for over a year. When I mentioned this, he got snappy and told me prescribing medication was a risk and he needed more "details" about me. I asked what sort of details he needed,… which led him back to picking apart my questionaire answers. Since I wrote "yes" to "Do you worry about contamination and sanitation?" he started to say I had OCD tendencies, and I explained that the question wasn't clear, I meant that I don't eat meat but I'm not washing doorknobs obsessively. When I told him there wasn't a connection he got defensive and informed me that I also have signs of "attention deficit disorder and depression". Well duh, that's what I wrote down on the very first question and what I told the receptionist I needed to be seen for! Very difficult to work with, and when I questioned his strange practices he got EXTREMELY defensive and then angry at me, eventually telling me he didn't want to work with me and then kicking me out of his office, yelling "God!" and slamming the door behind me. I'm reporting this to the medical board, he really should not be working with depressed people because he makes people more depressed. Absolutely no compassion or concern.

Dr. Elder violated basic human decency by having me forcibly medicated and not communicating effectively with me. When he met with me the first day I was at the hospital he told me upon my reading of a medication override that he did not care and was about to retire. I was sent to a court commitment hearing on medication that I still do not know the name of. For approximately two months I was on medications under his care. I woke up in the hospital cognitively okay and was medicated to the point where it was difficult to speak. Staff would not tell me what medications I was on when I asked and Dr. Elder did not offer me this information. I was informed after a particularly bad night that I had been given Seroquil. In the State of Oregon patients have a right to know what medications they are taking, voluntary or otherwise.

Dr. Elder violated basic human decency by having me forcibly medicated and not communicating effectively with me. When he met with me the first day I ...

Best psychiatrist I have ever seen. I have seen easily 6 before him. He is excellent with medication changes and keeps up to date on current schools of thought in both medication management and therapy techniques. He speaks plainly but utilizes empathy when doing so. He is intelligent, possesses common sense, and is trustworthy. He does watch controlled substances he prescribes closely. That's a good thing and not a negative! only complaint I have is we have similiar temperments. Otherwise, he is a great dr.

Terrific doc and good therapist. I used to be ill every 3 months, now I've been well for 15 months in a row! The quality and effectiveness of care that I receive from Dr. Elder is exceptional.