My Mum was diagnosed with depression and anxiety and was seeing him for 10 years and she was really bad. My Dad had to be by her side for 24 hours a day or she couldn't cope. She used rock back and forth in her chair all day long. I went along to many of her appointments with Dr Maloney and aksed if there is anything we can do to help her. He always said no, nothing could be done. I finally took her along to another psychiatrist for another opinion and straight away she told my Mum that the tablets Maloney prescribed were causing all the problems. She changed her tablets and she started to get better. If we had kept going to that man, who knows what would have happened to her. I also had a friend whose GP recommended him and I warned her about him. She went to see him suffering depression and it was starting to affect her marriage. Maloney told her the reason she was depressed was because of her marriage. If she had listened to that idiot she might have broken up with her husband. That man is dangerous and should not be practicing psychiatry.

What a truly awful and negligent doctor. I agree with everything said below.

I saw Michael Maloney in may 2015. Despite reading these comments I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt by attending my appointment with some trepidation. He was truly revolting and I left the clinic feeling highly suicidal and was taken to the emergency department after speaking with the clinic inpatient team. My diagnosis is bipolar 2 with bpd traits and substance abuse. Maloney was late for our appointment and did not smile at me once. I was waiting in a tiny waiting room and he did not make eye contact with me despite walking past me numerous times in a space not larger than two square meters. Maloney was fixated on asking about substance use and when I suggested that my mood destabilisation was the root of recent behaviours he asked me to stop interrupting and kindly let him take his case history. I told him that I was afraid and have no supports and really am committed to recovery and need to establish a good therapeutic relationship with my doctor. He hardly acknowledged this and then proceeded to ask totally unnecessary questions about my mother's pregnancy with me. He asked me when my problems started and I suggested post puberty to which he responded: but you experienced childhood trauma so you have never been normal your whole life really. I burst into tears and told him not that I really needed care as I am in an acute phase of illness and self harming to which he replied that he was not obligated to care about me. I told him not to speak so callously about situations that cause me absolute torment and left the appointment 10-15 minutes after arriving. He is a grotesque man and if you want to receive compassionate treatment of the absolute anguish of personality disorder and addiction you must NOT jeopardize your health by risking an appointment with this hostile and self righteous pig of a man.

My life was ruined due to seeing this dr- I thought for many years that I had questions relating to this doctors treatment of me. From age 19-27 I was treated for bipoler cyclothemic mood disorder as well as schitzo-affective disorder. I thought at times he wasn't the nicest but he can be very friendly. So I thought ok, well, I'm pretty lucky to see him. He does not over prescribe medications unlike other psychiatrists. However, he completely disregarded all my medical treatment prior to seeing him which constituted a lot of medications and a lot of money spent of very good specialists. He claimed to have trained one of these. He disagreed with her diagnosis of bipoler/schitzo-affective and consequently I was taken off and not taking mood stabilisers or antipsychotics. I once made a very bad mistake. i questioned his duty of care. i did not mean this as a breach of duty of care, but something very happened in his hospital. I was given the wrong medication. He called my family and told them I was unwell and should be prescribed (all of a sudden) zyprexa which he had taken me off due to physical problems during the half life which was documented under other doctors (I am allergic to a lot of sedative anti-psychotics). He had my family take me to a public hospital. I was so traumatised by everything that happened under his care that I now understand I was wrong to believe that a caring doctor exists. But they do. I highly recommend my former psychiatrist Dr Karen Fitzpatrick who also works in the private sector. My life was ruined by Dr Maloney. Years without my proper medication which I now have (including a small tolerable amount of zypreca:) )But have left the state and found that many private psychiatrists seem to work out of public hospitals which scares me after the trauma I have been through. Though in terms of rudeness, I have thought usually that he was a kind doctor, until he did that. (Getting my parents to take me to the Alfred Hospital when I was showing NO symptoms It was the most traumatising lesson of power I have ever learnt in my life. In terms of rudeness, I have experiences rudeness from my following doctor's, but never from anyone who has treated me prior to Dr Maloney. I would give my right arm for my previous dr's but i now live in another state. As a former law student I know the abuse and breach of duty of care that he committed. I write this as i'm coming to terms to warn other patients. I can't believe he got away with that. He should have been disciplined by the Medical Board. I thought he was a fantastic Dr until he did that. I am fearful of all psychiatrists now. Absolutely all of them, because my future treatment is poisoned by this as a consequence of being admitted to a private hospital, I was traumatised by being attacked and having my shoulder hurt. I was giver an injection medication which was not my medication and received multiple injection pric's (2 times in the public hospital they came in to stick the neddle into me, but only the third time did they administer the injection. I have never been so traumatised of Australia's mental heath system. I believe we had a great one due to programs running in the Albert Road Hospital, the set up where I could see doctors in the private sector and treatment if needed within it. I am fearful of what any doctor could do to me know. I seriously thought he was a nice man, a helpful man until this happened. Sorry this is so long.

I had an appointment booked with Dr Maloney,after reading these messages i was concerned about going to him. I talked to my G.P who is excellent and feel lucky to be a patient of his about this,he was unsure when i told him but he said go see how he is? As i couldn't find anyone private on short notice. Well i agree 110% with all written i wish i'd never gone!!! a cold dismissive person! Out of any Doctor i've seen about anything the worst,he disagreed with every other doctor also strongly with ones i'd seen over a period of time (which is fine) but in the manner was awful,was not interested in what i had to say or that i was at the end reaching for help most doctors would give some comfort and at least say something....i could write on and on how awful the session was and what he said but i think its pretty much covered in what others have said. There seems to be a pattern here,i just wonder about his other patients there views? Whats his turn over like,as far as patients returning?? If anyone happens to have there first appointment coming up with this so call "Doctor" Maloney or is thinking to see him don't!!!!!!! You will regret it your waste of time and more so the most important the way you'll be treated for that hour!! How he believes his helping people puzzles me, every dog has its day and this sick doctor will have his . I hope people will get over there bad run in with him thats the best way to get back!!

I wish I'd read this review before I saw this horrid man. In my opinion , he was rude, disrespectful and arrogant. It's taken me a few days to get over the shock of the way he treated me. I've no idea how he keeps a practice afloat with his aloof, cold manner. He was dismissive of any previous treatment I'd had, and in the space if one appoinent felt he could come to an assessment of what was going on. He was disrespectful and i found the experience extremely traumatic. I think he gets kicks from upsetting people from what I've read here. I left the consultation sobbing, and he didn't even offer any comfort, almost as if he was pleased he'd upset me so much. I hope that my reporting this here helps someone else to get over seeing him. I've seen other psychiatrists in my life, but he has hands down been the least caring person I've ever had he misfortune to meet.

OMG I wish I had never attended an apt with Dr Maloney. I wish I had followed the suggestions in these reviews and avoided him at all costs. I saw him a about a week ago and am still trying to let go of how angry, and triggered by him I feel. I saw him for what I thought might be decent on going treatment/help with my Borderline Personality Disorder, abuse and trauma issues. I found his "bed side manner" from the outset, arrogant, cold and dismissive. I would have at least tried to think about some of the things he was saying and suggesting, had he delivered them in a more kind, caring and compassionated manner. Instead I found myself using my DBT skills, and my old zoning out skills, the best I could, to cope and survive, what should have been a helping experience. I have had many psychiatrists over the years, I have a chronic mental health condition. All of those psychiatrists have treated me for depression at different stages of my life. After meeting me for a whole HOUR of my life, he told me I had probably never had depression. I said I beg to differ. I went on to say, so my child psychiatrist was wrong, all my adult psychiatrists have been wrong etc? He said, "he would have to question their diagnosis." If I had only had one other psychiatrist in my life, I may have accepted this opinion, or at least entertained it. However, having had many, lovely, kind, caring and highly professional psychiatrists over the years, I found this opinion and the way he delivered it absolutely offensive. My psychiatrists have also treated me with excellent psychotherapy, and that has been one of the aspects of treatment that has helped me to recover greatly. In my letter to my GP he said that "after 10 years of psychotherapy I am not sure that talking therapy has a great deal to offer" and re: Depression he wrote "Her mood has really been chronic dysthymia rather than a Major Depressive Disorder. Anti-depressants are not anti-unhappiness pills but Efexor may well be helping with her anxiety." I told him in the apt that I was not complaining about anxiety and was not being treated for that in recent years. Not to mention that is not the reason I am on Efexor. I have remained on Efexor at the advice of an excellent female psychiatrist who treated me over a 10 yr period. And also on the advice of treating psychiatrists I have had since her. The only possibly helpful thing he said was that he could maybe refer me for DBT and Schema Therapy at the private hospital. Thankfully, I may have found a different, nice, normal, caring, empathic, and non-judgemental psychiatrist to see for my issues. I have been struggling to find an excellent BPD treating psychiatrist in two Australian cities, for the last 3 years. In my opinion Dr Maloney is certainly not one of them. Lastly, the most helpful thing he did, was bulk bill me because I'm on a concession card. Thank GOD, I didn't have to use my own precious money, to be treated like shit. And I'm thankful that I have enough fighting spirit, will and determination to get better, that I was able to believe, that not all Drs are going to be like this, treat me like this. I seriously considered becoming really reclusive and never reaching out for help from a psychiatrist again.

I visited Dr Maloney in September 2013, further to a referral. The diagnosis provided by Dr Maloney was inaccurate, damaging and misleading, and lead to a major depressive lapse, and two weeks hospitalisation. The technique adopted by him was at best intriguing, and more accurately, abusive and self serving to him. He lacked any element of sympathy and care. If the primary role of a doctor is caritas, then I suggest that Dr Maloney is unsuitable.

Hands down the worst Doctor I've ever been to. Aside from an accurate diagnosis he was no help whatsoever. He doesn't listen, has no empathy whatsoever and he has little regard for the patient's wellbeing. He refuses to name anywhere other than the Melbourne Clinic to get treatment - Even with a 42 week waiting list for a potentially life threatening condition. The only time I've left a doctor feeling worse than when I walked in.

Absolutely appalling. Left feeling ten times worse. He gave me no worthwhile advice and completely misdiagnosed me. He was genuinely rude and I felt he was also very homophobic. He is a total disgrace.