Dr. Nandita Puchakayala, MD

- saw her once to discuss ketamine treatment - she was an hour late - she talked over me the whole time - i finally got to ask questions, but gave up because she was so rude and ultimately i knew i couldn’t be in the office 4 hours out of every week. - told dr. p i guess i have to kill myself because meds don’t work for me and i can’t even get ketamine treatments - her assistant tried to schedule me for a second appointment a week later???????

By far one of the worst psychiatric I have ever encountered. Dr Nandita Puchakayala has clearly chosen the wrong profession. When you try to express your needs and concerns with her she talks over you. Patients suffering from mental illness have it hard enough already and seek psychiatrists for assistance on ways to cope with their needs. She doesn’t seem to care about ones needs and she definitely does not empathize with them either. My sincerest apologies for those who have had to witness this first hand..and to others who have not..well take this as a warning. There are lots of good psychiatrists and people out there, unfortunately she is not one.

is good doctor

I have been seeing Dr. Puchakayala for some time in the Lake Forest location. I am not happy with my appointments and am now going to see a new doctor. She consistently does not spend enough time with me to truly have any idea what is going on, and refuses to listen to concerns about medication changes. I don't feel that I was evaluated appropriately, and the decisions made on what medication to prescribe are quick and seem to be without much reasoning, and certainly without explaining why to the patient. When questioned about why, she just keeps repeating things she has already said before which is not helpful. I was also put on two medications that seem to have pretty severe drug interactions when I went online to check out what they were (since she gave me no information and I at least wanted to know what I was on). The front office staff is also rude, and in the past has refused to ask Dr. P a question for me. I also find that they are generally unfriendly, and as the… other reviews I read mentioned, there is a lack of communication between the doctor and the front office about when the patient is supposed to come back.

We saw Dr. Puchakayala through the Inland Valley Psychiatric Medical Group, and while I am sure that there good therapists work here, my daughter and I did not have a good experience. We called for an appointment for an initial evaluation. We waited 3 weeks for the appointment with Dr. Nandita Puchakayala. Unfortunately, my daughter was seen for less than 15 minutes. She felt rushed by the doctor, she felt that the doctor did not do an evaluation, or gather enough information to establish a treatment plan. The doctor prescribed a new medication to take with her existing prescription, which in itself may not be a problem. The problem is that less than 15 minutes, without having a written history to review, does not make for a sufficient evaluation and did not give us the confidence that she was being treated adequately. Further, when my daughter left she didn't know if she should "check out" with the office staff, because no one communicated appropriately or clearly. She was… told by the doctor Ok I will see you in a month. She was not given the labs that she should have been by the office staff, nor did she get a follow up appointment. When she went near the front desk, she said they just put their hand up as they were busy. Not knowing what that meant and feeling uneasy about the doctor visit, she chose to leave. The office staff should learn to communicate and direct their patients through the process (especially in a mental health office). I called the office immediately following the appointment to see what made them believe that less than 15 minutes with a doctor was sufficient to evaluate a 23 year old who was just in crisis (not to mention, I was clear when scheduling the appointment that it was for an initial evaluation because she hasn't had one in a long time and we were not sure that her medication was right at this point). The office staff did really say anything and did not let me speak to the doctor directly. First they said "I gave her labs". Then when I insisted he didn't, he looked and said "oh yeah I didn't". I told him to relay the message to the doctor and that someone needed to call me back, as my daughter left the office more anxious than when she went in. No one called me. I called their other office in Rancho as I was told the office manager was at that location. Repeated the complaint and the gentleman who answered said that someone would call me back. No one ever did. Needless to say she will not return there. I did call the insurance company to file a complaint. The doctor billed a full initial evaluation at $350.00, but that is not the service she provided. Be aware, be proactive in your treatment, and call the insurance company if you have a complaint. They need to ensure quality services, accurate billing, etc. I would not recommend Inland Valley Psychiatric Medical Group at all.