Dr. James Charney

After one session, he put me on 500mg of zoloft and told me I had "unconsciously" wanted a violent sexual assault by a stranger to happen to me. I wrote to Choate multiple times about him and learned later from another psychiatrist that Charney has had numerous complaints about over medication and poor ethics throughout his career. He should not be practicing.

I was sent to this man when I was a teenager - 45 minutes after meeting me he diagnosed me as severely manic depressive. KNOWING that I had been treated for high blood pressure since I was 12, he put me on increasing doses of lithium. Eventually I was up to 2000mg a day. To counteract the effects of the lithium, he put me on 400mg of Zoloft. When my other physicians told my parents that I was being overdosed, Charney told them that if he took me off the lithium, I would be in 'bad shape' and that I wouldn't be able to go back on it - he told them that I would have to be hospitalized, perhaps permanently. It terrified them. I lost 12 years of my life because of this man. I now have advanced kidney failure due to lithium poisoning. My actual psychiatric diagnosis is Major Depressive Disorder. I sought legal counsel, only to be told that it is impossible to sue a psychiatrist no matter how many tests, biopsies, and experts at Mass General Hospital I have behind me. Be VERY careful.

Dr. Charney has been my dr for 7 years. He's very good. Bedside manner could use a little work but otherwise he's easily accessible and conscientious. Follow-up to med changes is exceptional.

He was kind and caring enough, but it seemed that he prescribed me too many drugs.