He gave me the most basic and useless advice to avoid binging. Don't eat in front of the TV and if I don't stop I could get diabetes. Also wanted me to go on a medication that I had previously been on that I had gained weight on. Probably the worst doctor I've ever talked to.

Submitted Aug. 11, 2022

As a frequent flyer of this program, I can attest to Dr. Bissada’s desire fore one to get well. In the end of all of this, l knew if I wanted to recover, it was up to me, and that’s what I did. As for the staff of the program, I witnessed a turn over. I did find it difficult to be in a program where a staff member had an eating disorder, that was not getting help. There was a lot of favourites with this person and would report back to the doctor, untruths about certain patients. I saw this happen many times. With the information, Dr.Bissada would shoot from the hip only to blast that patient. Fortunately he listened to the truth.
With that being said, he was the one who had faith in me, pushed me, encouraged me and helped me want to get well. I would strongly recommend him as a doctor.

Submitted May 2, 2021

I was discharged on medications that should be followed by a psychiatrist and not a family doctor.

Submitted Dec. 22, 2020

The outpatient program is designed to get people to eat Canada’s food guide, but not much else. I told Dr Hany Bissada once that I had eaten ice cream and popcorn for breakfast and he replied that those are not breakfast foods. For someone suffering from anorexia and having fear of food, being told the foods I was eating were “wrong” was hurtful. Use this program to schedule eating, not for your mental health

Submitted Sept. 23, 2020

I have hesitated to leave a review in the past, as I want those struggling with an ED to not give up hope. I was in the program about 8 years ago. The staff knew nothing about trauma and ptsd, the cause of EDs for many. I was kicked out of the day program after 4 weeks for not gaining enough weight. I called the social worker later and he said he couldn’t help me. I felt a massive rejection and only started recovering after seeing a feminist counsellor at the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre. If only the doctors at the Ottawa Hospital knew half as much as the counsellor at the ORCC. I hope the program at the Ottawa hospital and Dr Bissada have improved in the past few years.

Submitted June 29, 2020

Dr. Bissada is a drug pusher. He will ALWAYS make sure you leave his office with meds, and none of them will cure your ED. I have completely recovered from ED with no help from him. I completed his outpatient program a few years ago, and was no better the day I walked in from the day I finished. He put me on countless meds to no avail. After I finished Dr. Bisada I did counselling with a Psychologist whom herself recovered from an ED. This was a game changer and I completely recovered. Psychotropic meds WILL NOT cure your ED. The staff around Dr. Bissada were very nice and tried to help, but none of them have personal experience suffering from and ED. Dr. Bissada is a drug dealer and makes millions off young women. If there are positive reviews of this doctor I am not sure they are credible.

Submitted April 12, 2020

I completed the outpatient program several years ago and have made great progress in my recovery from anorexia and bulimia. The program and various staff members had an impact in my choices to recover. Past interactions with Dr. Bissada still trouble me though, almost a decade later. He yelled at me once that it was my "duty as a wife" to have sex with my husband when at a weekly meeting I said I didn't want to (It was actually nurses in the program who brought to attention patterns of abuse and red flags- with my now ex husband- we separated and divorced six months after I finished the program). He also told me I was "militant" for trying to come up with a schedule to request more support with household chores at home and should just do them and dismissed major issues at home (ex buying a car without my consent, so pretty big things!) and always made me feel like the "problem". The only kindness shown to me was after a truly terrible and upsetting family meeting with my parents (he told me my mother "didn't have the capacity to be a mother"). The weekly meetings were just like a checklist and I never felt encouragement or compassion, just fear to please him and "be better". Yes, ED do require firmness and scrutiny to get to the roots of issues but they also require heartfelt care for the individual. I made significant gains in my recovery due to the other staff members in thr program and wish I could erase the manny horrible comments made by Dr Bissada that still cause issues.

Submitted Feb. 6, 2020

Amazing doctor who has saved my life countless times over the last 20 yrs. When I was severely ill with anorexia, I battled with him constantly because he was fighting the ED.... not me. Once I decided I wanted recovery, I could not have asked for a more supportive, understanding doctor.
I truly do not understand where all the negative comments come from as I have never experienced or seen any of that. Extremely grateful for his expertise and persistence with me!

Submitted Oct. 2, 2018

Over 15 years later and recovered, I can say it was no thanks to the experience at this program or Bissada. He is not a good match for sensitive people who need to be heard. Never had the sense he wanted to understand me and my quiet nature. Left the program when he wanted to give me shock therapy, which was not explained and I felt like punishment.

Submitted Feb. 14, 2018

Worst. Doctor. Ever.

The biggest pusher I have ever seen when it comes to psychiatry and psychotropic medication. I was severely anorexic, and before I left his office after the first meeting, he had me place a pill under my tongue. I had no idea what it was, but I left stoned. I later found out that it was Zyprexa, which is used to treat Schizophrenia. Unbelievable.

He has also been so unprofessional and inappropriate with me. He told me my BMI wasn't low enough for "inpatient" treatment and that's because he wanted me to do HIS program, to get better stats. He also said he couldn't refer me to another program outside of his as that is a conflict of interest, yet my other psychiatrist who also worked at the same facility did it in a heart beat because she knew that's what was best for me.

He is horrible, and I have no idea how he is still practicing.

Do not go see this doctor, or put anyone in his car.

Submitted Nov. 19, 2017