Dr. Karen Michele Hochman, MD

Dr. Hochman, while credentialed and experienced, may need to step down from some of her responsibilities or delegate more tasks to her subordinates. On more than one occassion I've witnessed her "melt down" infront of patients. Needless to say, mental health proffessionals are not immune to life's stressors and are entitled to struggle with issues of their owm. However, for the sake of professionalism, and more importantly the safety and prpoer care of her patients, she may need to be assessed more closely herself to ensure that she is using proper judgement and more focused when assessing patients for diagnosis and dispatching treatment.

I am writing this review because I believe that finding a good psychiatrist is probably on of the most difficult things to do. I believe that mental health is a growing concern and that good mental health care for troubled teens with addiction problems should be a priority.I write this review at the age of 30. I first started seeing Dr. Hochman after spending my 16th birthday in a pediatric psych. ward. I was full of problems, could not eat, addicted to pot and experiencing severe psychotic symptoms. Dr. Hochman was excellent with me. Not only did she actually talk to me (which was something I wasn't used to), she respected me. I highly recommend Dr. Hochman as a psychiatrist. She explained things to me so that I could understand them. She explained my medication. And she always gave me an opportunity to be honest with her.I am now 30 years old, 2 and a half years clean and sober and am actively involved in 12 step fellowship. I am pregnant with my first child and getting… married. This is something I never thought possible for myself. So miracles do happen!After Dr. Hochman moved her practiced to Atlanta, I have had an array of psychiatrist's who call themselves doctors. That is why I am writing this review. I have been pumped up and comatosed. I have been miss-diagnosed tens of times. I have been passed around like a rag doll, all the while dealing with a severe crack cocaine addiction. Dr. Hochman is the ONLY doctor that I have EVER seen in my 15 years that I respect. So my advice to people searching for a psychiatrist in Altalnta: Do your best to receive care from Dr. Hochman. If you need medication- take it. If she advises medication- take it. You never know... you might not need to take it for the rest of your life. But I believe that Dr. Hochman is bright and intelligent, and perfectly capable of determining that. Trust her. She's smart!

The VA is responsible for most of the bad ratings. However, Ms. Hochman needs to be honest with her patients not evasive. When I ask a doctor whether they have experience with my disorder I expect a complete and honest answer. Not evasion of a full and honest answer to that question.