Dr. Robert J Mendola, MD

Dr Mendola is an incredibly caring and patient man who was the only mental healthcare provider i trusted. He was nonjudgmental, seemed genuinely concerned, and was the only person who prioritized my well-being over the rigid policies in place at the Cornell University health center. For instance, at the time I had occasionally smoked cannabis and was comfortable being open about this habit because Dr. Mendola never threatened to withhold treatment. This allowed for open discussion that helped me reflect and significantly curb my use (meanwhile, I am currently unable to be honest with the psychiatrist who replaced him). Along with this, he was extremely considerate my time constrains during the semester, so he did not require that i spend an additional two hours per month with a therapist (since i had already tried this and did not feel it was beneficial). Similarly, he recognized that the department was understaffed and that his patients dealt with scheduling headaches, so he… tried his best to flexible and plan ahead. Despite having a heavy caseload, I was also able to communicate with him over long breaks and even arrange to have my prescription sent to Florida (meanwhile the person i currently see is delusional about the quality of care provided by Cornell Health and will push patients away if they don’t fit a perfect mold, even if alternative providers are over 20 miles away). This was my first experience regularly taking medication, and some earlier comments seem to suggest that he simply acted as a pill dispensary.. but i feel this is a very poor representation of him. His job involved prescribing medication is often the most effective treatment, but he regularly discussed other therapy options that i plan to explore once i graduate and life becomes more settled. He was also very cautious with my prescription by having me take an EKG and only giving amphetamines instead of methamphetamines because of lower cardiac health risk. Moreover, although it was not his responsibility, he also helped me navigate the system so that I could receive a diagnosis as dyslexic / ADHD. I struggled to find providers under my insurance for the official cognitive testing, and then was unaware that conditional testing accommodations could be requested while sorted through the insurance paperwork and scheduled multiple appointments. He directly put me in contact with the people who helped turned my college experience around. Once I had enough time to finish exams, grades began to reflect my actual understanding of the material, which also reduced my anxiety because I finally had some control over my circumstances. Overall, Dr. Mendola was an amazing doctor who i miss very much.

This man is not a doctor, he is a drug dealer. He suffers from delusions of grandeur, and talks more about himself and his own issues than he does about anything else. TERRIBLE about refills!! This man should not be practicing medicine. However, if you want a great drug dealer, he's the one for you!!

Extremely unprofessional, let's his emotions get in the way. Has no patience. Will seem nice at the beginning but the first disagreement or problem you'll have he will snap . For a professional that has to deal with human mental states he doesn't have what it takes. Just schedule with another doctor if you can.

Courteous and agreable every times. Not overly warm and fuzzy, but respectful and caring (which to me is much more important); it's all fine because his job is to be your psychiatrist, not your therapist.

As a student I expected a lot more from my first visit to a psychiatrist. Insensitive, rude and dismissive, I left in tears more depressed than when I entered. Will never recommend to my classmates and friends. Dr. Mendola should be fired. Terrible terrible experience.

Robert Mendola (I refuse to call him a Doctor) treated me for a period of >1 year. After 9 months of treatment I had to travel out of town for a few weeks/weekends and could not meet with him for a few months. After this when I once started feeling very sick (like I was having a bipolar incident) I reached out to him. His attitude to me was very rude -- he stated that since I wasn't keeping appointments regularly he couldn't "give me the same amount of time as earlier". He did not care that I was desperate for medical help or show any sympathy or concern. When he did see me, he was very rude to my wife, when I defended her, he asked me "to get out of his office" I was peacefully walking away when he started shouting "so you want to hit me do you, you want to attack me?" so as to make people believe that I was going to hurt him -- ALTHOUGH I WAS 10 FEET AWAY and WALKING AWAY FROM HIM WITH MY BACK TO HIM! This caused the police to be notified by his staff who had not seen any of this but… believed their doctor, because everyone trusted his word against mine/my wife's and I was escorted home. I'm not sure how this man can claim to be a Doctor -- he has none of the qualities of a good doctor or a decent human being -- namely empathy, politeness, and being honest.He is also the official Psychiatrist of Cornell University -- I suspect that the high rate of suicides at Cornell is likely because of his incompetence.