I've been a patient of Dr Corman's since 2016.
Mental illness runs in my family. My mother and brother both suffer from depression. I suffer from depression, PTSD from a traumatic event in childhood, and ADHD. From someone who has been going to see doctors since I was 13 years old for a multitude of mental health issues, I can tell you three things:
1. Proper diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues is not quick. People can go their entire lifetimes and see multiple doctors without finding the underlying root cause of their mental health issues.
2. Proper diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues is not easy. Mental health is a subjective thing. Rarely can all of your problems be solved through medication alone. Sometimes you have a litany of issues which requires multiple combinations of drugs, exercise, support groups - you name it.
The two points above add up to #3:
3. Proper diagnosis and treatment of mental health issues are not cheap. Prescription drugs, check-ups, co-pays, medications, misdiagnosis, second, third, 4th consultations, gas money, deductibles... all of this adds up.
What does any of this have to do with Dr Corman?
Dr Corman is an old-school doctor who specializes on ADHD. He's from a generation before people had instant access to WebMD and other online self-diagnosis tools. It's an era where as a patient, you understood that you were paying someone who devoted his life to a practice for his expertise, which means you have to relinquish some control over the situation and trust the process.
I completely understand why Dr Corman would rub a lot of people the wrong way; his personality is sometimes a direct reflection of this era. However, as someone who's seen multiple specialists over the years, it's something I appreciate about him. I know that when I step into his office, we're getting down to the business of figuring out this MAJOR question in my life: how much of struggles (if any) are related to ADD/ADHD?
The answer has not been easy. I live in Orange County and his office is about 15-20 miles away. The first week was nothing but testing on different medications (sometimes 2 tests a day) and coming back and discussing the results. After that initial week, we're in the coasting stage where I take the prescribed dosage and come back monthly to talk about any changes, ups and downs.
There was a period between 2017 and 2018 where I lost my healthcare and had to see another psychiatrist. Dr Corman's office faxed about 30 pages of testing to the other office. The psychiatrist at the time was extremely impressed with the testing methodology, and had no hesitation about continuing my ADHD regimen based on the results.
When I was able to go back on Blue Shield earlier this year, it was another week and a half of testing. We went back to the drawing board - is the regimen still working? Is there anything that works better? Do the benefits of the stimulants still out-weigh the side effects, or do we need to lower the dosage?
Dr Corman has been a positive impact on my life. I know he's not for everybody, but he's a significant resource for me to map the underlying root causes of my mental health issues, and for that, I am very thankful.
If you scroll down these reviews, you'll realize that a lot of the positive reviews are from patients that have gone through the mental health grind for a while, and the negative reviews are coming from people that don't have a lot of experience with mental health physicians.
If you're a new patient; especially if you're new or don't have a lot of experience with mental health specialists, I would give you this advice:
1. Dr Corman is an ADHD specialist. Another reviewer in correct in saying "to a hammer, everything looks like a nail". However, when it is a nail, there's no other tool you want to use to drive it through a board than a hammer.
2. Don't go into this hoping you're going to get a clean diagnosis for ADD/ADHD. Go into this understanding that you're paying money to get a thorough exploration of whether or not you have ADD/ADHD. If the treatment is not helping/working, cross it off the list and move to the next potential cause of your symptoms.
3. Some insurance companies do not cover his tests. I would highly recommend to either speak with the staff who usually knows if the tests are covered, or call your insurance company directly to make sure.
4. The test exists because stimulants are finicky bed partners. There is no such thing as a recommended starting dose; it's not based on height/weight. 5 mg up or down can make a world of difference.
5. The guy doesn't shake hands with anybody. It's not personal :) read more