Dr. Jacqueline Lisa Jacobs Gourtzelis, MD

I was referred to see Dr. Jacobs- Gourtzelis at BJC Kirkwood. I was unfamiliar with the mental health system at the time and have not seen another psychiatrist after my poor experience with this doctor. This doctor was not very professional at all, was dismissive of my concerns about medication, and even questioned my education. The only thing Dr. Jacobs-Gourtzelis seemed interested in was whether I was taking my medications or not. She did not discuss with me the risks, benefits, or alternatives to taking psychiatric medication. Her claim on my medical records (which I later requested) that she did discuss these things with me is an outright lie. In fact, none of the psychiatrists I had come in contact with had ever bothered with informed consent. I'm not sure why this is. She dismissed my concerns about side effects. I thought it was strange that a doctor would prescribe a medication before doing any medical tests whatsoever. If you do see a psychiatrist, you might want to ask for… the diagnostic tests that show you have a chemical or physical abnormality that needs to be corrected with medication. She refused / was unable to provide me with any objective medical proof of my diagnosis. She also insisted on raising my dosage of medication after I expressed my reluctance to take medication. I hadn't even been able to take the lower dose of the medication (30mg), so I obviously wasn't going to take the increased dose that she insisted on (60mg). Please consider doing some research on your own before you start taking these drugs at the insistence of a psychiatrist. The majority of them are influenced and accept money from the pharmaceutical industry, and I wasn't aware of these conflicts of interest until I did more reading later. Then at least if you do choose to start psychiatric medication, you will be better informed, because this doctor really won't inform you. Later I found more information on psychiatric drugs and the neurological damage they cause, so I was happy about my past decision to ignore this doctor's advice. Many psychiatric drugs cause tardive dyskinesia and SSRI's cause sexual dysfunction, weight gain, birth defects, and have other severe effects. I also read that the efficacy of SSRIs is questionable and is not even "clinically significant' compared to placebo, and that diet and exercise has been proven as effective for depression as medication. Dr. Jacobs-Gourtzelis didn't feel it was important to make me aware of these things, however. She just insisted I take the maximum dose of a medication. I have no problem with other people taking medication as long as they are fully informed, but I thought the side effects were too severe for me to choose to take the drug. As a result of all this, I chose to not to take the medication she prescribed and to discontinue services with this doctor and with BJC after a single visit.

What a lovely, compassionate and caring young woman.