Dr. Lonny Jay Behar, MD

I grew up in a problematic household and attempted suicide at 14. I was hospitalized and misdiagnosed with bipolar disorder II, and then started seeing Dr. Behar. Although at that age I was unable to acknowledge it myself, Dr. Behar recognized that unresolved issues in my household were contributing the most to my depression and emotional turmoil. He was skeptical about the bipolar diagnosis, and refused to increase my medication above the minimum dose despite pressure from a parent. Dr. Behar had the professional expertise to see my situation clearly, to judge the neurochemical element of my mental illness experience more accurately than previous mental health professionals had, and the confidence and integrity to act in my best interest. The medication I’d ended up with was an antipsychotic with serious side effects; Dr. Behar's good judgement protected my long-term mental and physical health. I am profoundly grateful for his help.

My daughter has been seeing Dr. Behar for 12 years. Throughout that time, Dr. Behar has worked tirelessly to find the mix of medicines to stabilize her. Even during hospitalizations where she saw some of the finest doctors in NYC, the end result always came back to what Dr. Behar was doing. A few years ago, my daughter started to show some additional symptoms that nobody could understand. We went from neurologist to neurologist hunting for an answer. It was Dr. Behar who figured out where to search, did the legwork, and found us the right doctor. It turned out that our daughter has a rare genetic illness causing the additional symptoms. When everyone else threw up their hands and just couldn't figure out what was wrong, Dr. Behar led us to the person who made the diagnosis. We would still be searching if it hadn't been for his perseverance. Even with the new diagnosis, we continue to see Dr. Behar to treat symptoms. We don't ever want to see him retire!

We found Dr. Behar for my son approximately 10 years ago after years of misdiagnoses, mis-medications and misunderstandings with doctors. Dr. Behar correctly diagnosed that then-10 year old boy with bipolar disorder, weaned him off too many medications and started from scratch with a combination of medicines and therapy. We tried many different medicines, in many different combinations and Dr. Behar was there through every trial. He always answered his cell phone outside of office hours, even when on vacation and out of the country. His responsiveness and intelligence were always there for us, and his patience was inexhaustible. Other doctors wrote my son off in kindergarten ("I can't tell you that he will ever be able to hold a job, complete school, have a meaningful relationship," said one psychiatrist. "Nonsense," said Dr. Behar. And nonsense it was as my now young adult son experienced 7 successful years at sleep away camp, has a girlfriend, graduated from high school,… holds 2 internships and is preparing to take classes at community college. He would not be where he is without Dr. Behar's caring and care over the years. He listens to our concerns and offers his advice and has never condescended or spoken down to us. I have referred numerous families to him over the years and all have experienced this same level of care and satisfaction with his treatment. It is my pleasure to recommend Dr. Behar on this site.

Excellent, caring physician!