Dr. Laura G Valdovinos, MD

Dr. V has been instrumental in supporting my mental health and medication journey for the last year. I am very grateful for her medical expertise and compassionate care. She's been such a guiding force in my recovery.

Despite what these other reviews say, I have had nothing but success with Dr. V. She does have a tendency toward tough love, but I got over it. Psychiatric care is a two way street, you are responsible for the day to day care while the psychiatrist is there to guide you. Compared to other doctors I have seen, Dr. V is a minimalist with the medications. She advises non-medication methods first, then prescribes meds when required. I have been seeing Dr. V for nine years now and can't imagine using another doctor. If you can't handle taking care of yourself or a little bit of tough love then I would suggest seeing another doctor. I wish she was available at my school's health center.

Dr. Valdovinos is not a good Doctor. My daughter was having a manic episode due to her being bi-polar. Instead of having her admitted to a hospital she let her go on her merry way. My daughter was found wandering the streets of Riverside and was very confused. She almost died. The only thing that the Dr. told me afterwards is that she called 911 when I had let her know the next morning because no one knew where she was. She was basically implying that she did everything by the book and was washing her hands of the situation. She blamed the entire situation on my daughter when in fact she is very mentally ill. She is really terrible and should have her license revoked.

Like other reviewers, I do not recommend her. I went to her after having a random panic attack for the first time. She told me I had panic disorder and tried to give me medication. I declined and I did some research on my own. It turns out the panic attack was drug-induced from a cocktail of allergy medications. I stopped the medication and never had a panic attack again. Dr. Valdovinos does not understand the pharmacology of medication; if she had, she would have made the connection between the prescription allergy medication I was taking and the side effects I was experiencing. Some anti-anxiety medications cause dependence, so I am glad I refused treatment from her. UCR has a handful of physicians who offer quality care, and Dr. Valdovinos is not one of them.

I don't recommend her. She makes misdiagnosis, treatments don't work, and she has attitude during the session. I can't believe that she's from UCSF. There are better psychiatrists out there. I agree with the reviewer below that UC Riverside should reevaluate her and replace her with a new psychiatrist for their campus health center.

I was misdiagnosed with ADHD and put on amphetamines when I actually have bipolar disorder, and spun out of control on a stimulant-induced manic episode that left my relationship in shambles. She, as other patients have previously noted, disregards patient requests and has a temper to the detriment of the patient. She also scolded me for not making an appointment with her sooner even though I was already stable on a medication and did not wish to discuss anything with her further. Towards the end of my dealings with her, she gave me a last supply of my long-term medication and told me to go "find another psychiatrist" and said that I would "make any other psychiatrist uncomfortable". During my year of being in her care, she has switched me to four different medications, three of which failed to produce results and rather made me even more ill. I am thankful that I am no longer in her care, and I STRONGLY advise that the UC Riverside health center change their primary psychiatrist… seeing as she services a great number of the university's mental health clients.

Tells patient to make an appointment for three months later and then scolds patient for not seeing her in three months. Neglects to order liver tests when indicated for specific medications. Has limited Pharmaceutical knowledge. Doesn't understand that one medication in a drug family may work for a person and another medication in that same drug family may not work for the person. Gets overwhelmed during the holidays. Has a temper. Inadequate notes, or does no review them adequately. Puts a patient on the same medication two or three times in spite of having a bad reaction each time. Ignores patient's suggestions.

She seems clueless and asks irrelevant questions. She is incapable of making diagnoses, and is completely uninformed about the medications that she prescribes.