Dr. Richard Lewis Malen, MD

Kind, gentle and helpful. Dependable and accommodating. Knowledgeable.

I was seeing him when I was in a deep crisis. Wound up marrying a woman I didn't want in my life to keep her in this country and because she was emotionally dependent on me. Big mistake. Every time I tried to talk to him about walking away from the marriage he'd shut me down. Finally, he started dropping hints ... at first, I couldn't believe my ears and thought I was imagining his intentions. Then he finally came out and said it: I should have an affair, there are plenty of women would would love to have one with me. I was flabbergasted. Only a few months into a marriage and I should start having affairs! Our sessions turned into argument after argument, one of which left him crying. I finally called him up and told him we're through. He told me I was blaming him for getting me into the marriage. I told him that I was blaming him for KEEPING me in the marriage. I won't put in writing what I was thinking about him for years. This was thirty-plus years ago and I'm still furious at… him. Frankly, I can't believe that people put their trust in someone like him. If you're his patient, RUN, DON'T WALK TO THE NEAREST EXIT.

I saw Dr. Malen for the better part of a decade for MDD. In retrospect, the majority of that time I was "white knuckling" under his care. At the end, when we finally hit on something that actually worked, he took me off of it without warning, and informed me I was, "being dramatic." He wields an unremarkable and predictable arsenal of medications and seems to be oblivious to anything that might be an outlier in a patient with TRD. While he has a decent, avuncular bedside manner, he is not particularly good at actually treating the condition. He is especially paranoid about prescribing anything controlled, even when the patient may be close to suicidal. He should retire with his precious DEA license intact, before he does anyone real harm.

I moved to Los Angeles several years ago where there is no shortage of "shrinks." But I value seeing Dr. Malen so on my trips to NYC several times a year I arrange to see him. He is easy to speak with, and has a lot of experience. I like that he gives feedback and is not a mummy like so many others I've seen before. He always returns my phone calls within a few hours.

I am very grateful for his care. He has helped me a lot. I would recommend him

I saw Dr. Malen for ten years. He is an outstanding doctor in every respect.

I am thankful to find a doctor like him. He took the time to listen to my problems, and provided advice and medication that have helped me greatly. I have referred my friends to him too.

Dr. Malen sits typing away, no eye contact, seems to miss things you say, and seems utterly unknowledgeable about the meds he prescribes. I walked into my first appointment and told him what I was on and what I wanted and he gave it to me with a troubling disinterest in determining whether it was a correct or appropriate treatment. I could have walked in and asked for anything, and he would have given it to me, which is troubling. Today, at my second and last appointment, he a good third of my appointment today trying to figure out how to print or email my blood test results. When I got them, turns out he'd forgotten to order a test showing levels of my meds in my system. He did, however, remember to test my prostate specific antigen levels (useless since I'm a 34-year-old woman), my lead levels (almost as irrelevant) and checked me for Lyme disease. Another telling detail: his PDR manual is from 2004. He

Unfortunately I was comfortable with Dr. Malen and initially believed he provided a great level of care. But when I came in to his office for severe anxiety (I am a young female), I was told- in person and never informed beforehand via email or telephone- that he refused to see me, because in his exact words he felt we "had a fight" (which I don't recall or understand, and don't believe in "fights" in the context of therapy which can't be remedied), and moreover because I didn't have private health insurance anymore. Although I offered to pay out of pocket and via my college health insurance program, he still directly denied me and humiliated me in his office itself. I've never experienced this level of unprofessionalism from a physician or health care provider before and would inform any of my friends to find a different provider. I'm still embarrassed and disappointed over the experience.

If you are looking for an easy prescription this is the guy to go to. But if you are looking for an accurate evaluation and a caring doctor, DO NOT go to Dr. Malen. He never explains anything, he never reviews my file before my appointments, he never remembers my case history (even when I had a bad reaction to a drug he prescribed), he refuses to call in prescriptions to the pharmacy, he refuses to provide a copy of my medical records to me, he is hard to reach directly on the phone, he does not make any appointments after 5pm, he's very inflexible about scheduling, and appointments last 15 min tops (but of course he charges his entire fee). Bottom line - forget this guy.