Dr. Yvonne Patricia Waldemar, MD

I was under her care as my psychiatrist for a few months in 2018. When I walked into Dr. Waldemar's office, she asked me why I had come in. I explained that I needed a Lexapro refill. She then corrected me and said that before we talk about my medicine, we need to talk about my diagnosis. So I told her I had been diagnosed with anxiety. She corrected me again, and said that anxiety is a symptom and not a diagnosis. She proceeded to ask me all of the usual questions that every psychiatrist has ever asked me - do I hear voices, do I have suicidal thoughts, questions about my life and family etc. There are usually some big life events I like to fill doctors in on when I am seeing a new therapist or psychiatrist, including some specific traumatic events. She seemed less interested in those things, and when she came to my diagnosis, it was borderline personality disorder. I am 25 and have seen 4 psychiatrists and 5 therapists, and this is the only time anyone has given me that diagnosis… (my most recent psychiatrist simply told me that it was wrong). Upon asking her why she believed that, she cited self-harm. When I reminded her that I have never self-harmed, she pointed out my three (3) ear piercings and two (2) tattoos. One of my tattoos is about the size of a hand print and the other is the size of a match book. She also suggested that my trauma came from when my mother went to the hospital to give birth to my younger brother, a memory I distinctly remember as exciting and happy. This seemed very weird to me. Of course I was quite upset and spent about a week doing research on borderline and increasingly did not identify with the diagnosis. Finally, my therapist told me to just ignore it if it is not helpful for me. My following appointments with Dr. Waldemar were increasingly bizarre. Considering I am a freshly diagnosed borderline, she is extremely relaxed around me, chatting away to me about a family member who is getting on her nerves, transportation issues, and constant complaining about how busy she is and that she can't get her computer to work. I quickly decide the time is useless to me and only go to the appointments so I can get my Lexapro refill. I wish Dr. Waldemar no ill will, and suffered only 1 week of confusion and disturbance about my incorrect diagnosis. My subsequent time with her was more annoying than harmful. However, I am lucky to have a wide support network and a past of working with mental health providers who have given me the information that I need to make me confident enough to question a diagnosis that feels wrong. And also I did not rely on my time with my psychiatrist as a valuable time for me to receive mental health care beyond a prescription. However, I am concerned that others who do not have a support system like me may be harmed in a greater way by Dr. Waldemar. I would suggest that she does not speak about her personal or professional issues when she is seeing a client and instead give them a time to speak. Furthermore, I would suggest that she take more time before giving diagnosis.

Obviously the 1 rating is from someone she did not dole out controlled substances to. She gives you what you need not what you want.

Unprofessional, unethical, inappropriate.Failing to maintain a record for the patient that accurately reflects his medical evaluation