terrible dr rude, condescending, unempathetic throwing out diagnoses with no knowledge of patient . don't go. only staff I had exp with is dr

Submitted Sept. 2, 2021

Dr. Richardson did NOT address my child's anxiety. At times he was so condescending and down right rude, I wondered if he was trying to trigger an anxiety attack. When she expressed a desire for a lower dose, Dr Richardson said he could not evaluate whether the meds were working since my child was not taking them as prescribed. (He said we should have run out, not taking into account that I order the meds the exact day Kaiser will let us, giving us a buffer, or when dosages have changed, that we try to use up what we have.) He says things like "I believe that you believe what you are saying to be true, but the math just doesn't support that you are taking the medication as prescribed." Or another favorite, "Are those your thoughts or your feelings?" He just comes off as cold, robotic, egotistical and super condescending. My child finally told me, she would not feel comfortable talking to him if she was having a mental health crisis, because SHE COULD NOT TRUST HIM. Read that carefully. If you have a kid who has been depressed or anxious or suicidal, please never ever take them to a psychiatrist they can not be open about their mental health with. After a year of feeling like this is a bad fit, we are jumping ship. I have no idea why Kaiser keeps someone on who doesn't address patient's issues and alienates patients.

Submitted May 29, 2019

I had been seeing a different and wonderful psychiatrist for three years to help me cope with my depression, anxiety, and OCD. Then I had to change insurance. This is the only reason I left my previous psychiatrist and got stuck with Dr. Richardson at Kaiser. I had been on a medication regimen that took three years to perfect. I was happy, functioning, and experiencing no unpleasant side-effects. The first thing Dr. Richardson did was take away one of my anti-depressants, saying I didn't need it because I didn't "seem depressed." He took away one of my anxiolytics, saying that I "didn't need it" and that it was "easy to abuse." He threw some different meds into the mix, and those caused a marked increase in anxiety and agitation as well as bruxism and other unpleasant side-effects. He would not believe me when I told him about my previous doctor's diagnoses and said that I only "seemed to have" generalized anxiety. He did not even address my OCD, brushing it aside completely and telling me that he wanted to yank my OCD meds as well because they were "unnecessary."

He did not listen to me when I told him that the medication he put me on was causing unpleasant side-effects, like bruxism. His reason for not believing me was that it was a "rare side-effect" and that bruxism wasn't "impossible, but it's unlikely." Okay, but if your patient tells you that they ARE experiencing the rare side-effect, why would you tell them that it's unlikely that it's happening? I think I would know better than him what side-effects I was experiencing.

He is robotic, unkind, inconsiderate, and rude. He neither empathizes nor sympathizes. When I told him that I drank up to two small cups of coffee a day because I had a newborn baby, he looked at me like I had just told him that I snorted an entire eightball of cocaine prior to my appointment. He is patronizing and condescending and told me that I needed to stop drinking coffee because it would just worsen my anxiety and that I needed to "stop thinking about what feels good now, and think more about what's good for me." And this was in response to two cups of coffee. It's not like I chug a six-pack of Red Bull every day or drink an entire pot of coffee. I have maybe 12-16 fluid ounces of coffee in a work day. I had had three appointments with Dr. Richardson and he never once learned to say my name correctly, and it's not a difficult name by any means. He does not make good eye contact, but when he does the apathy he feels is clearly written across his face. He made no efforts to get to know me at all, and was only interested in what medication he could remove from my carefully curated regimen that another, much more talented and intelligent psychiatrist took pains to create over the course of three years.

Seeing Dr. Richardson only made me feel helpless and hopeless. As a result of his reckless adjustment of my medications, all the strides I had made with my previous psychiatrist were very nearly totally undone. He treated me like I was a criminal simply seeking drugs, not someone who was in a tenuous mental state who needed help.

He is careless when it comes to your mental health, and if you're actually interested in getting well I would strongly suggest that you avoid Dr. Richardson at all costs.

Submitted Sept. 13, 2018

I saw Dr. Richardson when my regular psychiatrist was out of town, whom I adore. His demeanor was to say the least, unnerving. I would have felt worst about the visit had I been needing him to be more than just a temporary stand-in. I needed a med increase and he prescribed it. But, there was little human connection or no warmth from him, which I feel KP docs need to have to serve their patients properly. I am happy that I got what a came for ... a bump in my medication ... but I would not want to see him again, and certainly not as my regular doc.

Submitted Dec. 15, 2017

Worst experience,bar none,with any medical professional.He is a liability for Kaiser Permanente and should not be allowed to care for people who are already fragile from psychological disabilities.My experience with this being was exactly as described by others.I read reviews prior to visit but was hopeful and tried to be open minded as I did read one positive review.The appointment was for my child.This provider repeatedly cut me off while I described my child"s issues.He would attempt to summarize what I said and would be wrong.Please keep sharing your experiences.Fill out the survey if you are sent one by Kaiser.Let them know!He does not need to be in patient care in any aspect,not even research.Something is seriously wrong with him!

Submitted Nov. 21, 2017

Worst experience with a Medical Professional EVER!!! He made me feel embarrassed & ashamed. He was condescending & accusatory. He was so robotic & unsympathetic, even after he could see that he had visibly upset me. I was so upset that I had a panic attack in his office & he was unconcerned. I came out worse than when I went in. I cant even imagine how someone in a worse emotional/mental state than I would have dealt with him as I am still a mess and I only went to see him since I couldn't get in with my regular doc. It is REALLY sad that someone that is supposed to help would treat people this way.

Submitted July 8, 2016

His cold, robotic nature does not entice me to return for another appointment. I'd rather talk to a wall. I waited 6 weeks to see this useless doctor. While he was asking questions, I sensed irritability in his voice and his expression. He would do well in the research aspect of medicine, since he obviously doesn't do well with people. His personality is equal to that of a wall.

Submitted July 6, 2016

A really bad Dr. REALLY BAD.. Very full of himself, cares not one bit for the patient. Is not helpful. If a bunch of online reviews are correct, he has even harmed a few patients with his "treatment." How is he allowed to do this? Based on my experience over three visits spaced over 5 months l cannot recommend him at all. Awful experience. The worst.

Submitted Dec. 22, 2015

RUN. When I was seeing him for anorexia & bulimia, Dr Richardson told me an (incorrect) "healthy weight" for my height that was LOWER than my weight at the time. My dietician at the eating disorder clinic I went to later confirmed that the weight he quoted would be very unhealthy for me. He weighed me every visit & let me see my weight, which they're not supposed to do.

He also put me back on medication that my cardiologist had taken me off of and had told me in no uncertain terms that it was dangerous for me to take. He's extremely condescending and invalidating. He didn't listen to me when I talked about side effects I was experiencing from my medication. He very rarely looked at me during appointments, instead staring at his computer screen and typing god knows what. He put me on the wrong medications and refused to change them when I had severe side effects. Again, RUN.

Submitted April 10, 2015

Dr. Richardson is very rigid and made me feel as though I could not talk to him. I had an inability to clearly express my thoughts and I had my mother speak for me yet everytime he asked me something he would just sit there and stare at you like you're stupid. I was also having hallucinations about sexual abuse Oh my past and felt that he was getting off because of the way he was sitting facing me with his legs open and the keyboard in his lap looking at me. Very wierd Dr. To me and not very transparent, he had me schedule another physical and the Dr. Locked me in the room and I believe he was going to have me hospitalized against my consent I've never been locked in a room before at Kaiser so that raised my anxiety level and made me paranoid so I told my mother to come in and calm me down . Very unapproachable and doesn't seem to care what u say. He also won't tell me if he thinks I'm schizophrenic but has me on a medication to treat schizophrenia bipolar. I agree with the other comments run far away from this looney.

Submitted March 13, 2015