I have been a patient of Dr. Jesalva's since February of 2005 minus a few years during which he was out of the state. But those few years I wasn't being treated by Dr. J were, without a shadow of a doubt, the most trying years of my life thus far: multiple psychiatrists labeled me as "too complicated a case" and either changed my medications (which had been working for years) or refused to accept me as a patient, leaving me either without any medication or on a single medication that had nowhere near the desired effect. It was a very dark chapter of my life to say the least. But I started seeing Dr. Jesalva again in 2019 and was able to bring a much-needed close to aforementioned chapter and resume feeling like myself again! I'm back on my combination of medications that allows me to manage my moods and thus my daily interactions with people, relationships, my career, etc. Dr. J has always listened to me as an individual and weighed that heavily in my treatment plan; and as someone who works in the veterinary medical field, I appreciate that more than words can express. There's nothing negative to say about the way Dr. Jesalva practices: my prescriptions are refilled quickly and easily, scheduling appointments is a breeze, communication is clear, he has an in-depth knowledge of pharmacokinetics and prescribes or adjusts doses accordingly, and his focus is truly on my mental well-being. Recommended above all psychiatrists in the area!! read more

I visited him once about 5 months ago. He said that he didn't take insurance so I paid him with my credit card. Since then he has billed my credit card twice for $450 for no visit or even contact. I have tried to reach his office several times but with no response. He a fraudster read more

If I could give you a zero on Yelp, that would make me even happier than having your medical license revoked, Dr. Jesalva. As for your "office"-take it from a long time patient (my fiancé) ITS FAKE AND IMPOSSIBLY DIFFICULT for a current Patient to be seen by them!! I highly advise you don't trust them, especially if your life depends on it!!! read more

Dr. Jesalva has been helpful as a consultation resource for me. As a psychotherapist, having a psychiatrist to speak with regarding medication questions is invaluable. Thanks Dr. for your availability and guidance! read more

The best psychiatrist I have seen to date. He cares about his patients. He listens and has belief in what they tell him. Words cannot describe what he and Sally have done to help me. He will stop at nothing to make you feel like yourself again. Receptive and well-educated. I highly recommend Dr. Jesalva. Where other psychiatrists fail, he thrives and allows you to live the life you well deserve. read more

I have been under Dr. Jesalva's care for seven years. Since I started seeing him, my condition has markedly improved. Dr. Jesalva has kept my anxiety and depression stable. I appreciate his care, compassion, and patience with me. He's been wonderful to work with. read more

Most of my life I had really bad anxiety misdiagnosed as ADD. Was able to in the initial visit to spot it and help get me on the right path. Doing better than ever before even in the most stressful times! Thank you Dr. J! read more

Dr. Jesalva is truly AMAZING!!! I have been seeing Dr. Jesalva, for over 15 years, and he is a thorough, attentive, compassionate, knowledgeable, and patient man. I have gone through some difficult times and Dr. Jesalva has guided me every step of the way. He sincerely cares for my well-being and future. I trust his judgment, appreciate his wisdom and I am incredibly grateful for his presence. read more

Dr Jesalva has helped me find the best person that I can be. He has been my Psychiatrist for many years. He has adjusted my medications when needed. The latest time he adjusted my medication, he used the method which tested my DNA for a better match to a medication. I was grateful for that. When I was on vacation and did not have enough medication with me, he and Sally patiently worked with me to solve the problem and I was able to get my medication. These days I delight in having a healthy brain and credit this to Dr Jesalva's skill as a expert in his field. Joanne K read more

I came to Dr. Jesalva after 9/11 and when I lost my business. Dr. Jesalva is one amazing human being! His care and compassion is over the top. His skills brought me back to a successful professional. The office staff is very friendly and accommodating. They work around your schedule and fit you in. Don't go anywhere else. Meet Dr. Jesalva first. read more

Does anybody ever answer the phone here. New patient wanting to make an appointment and nobody ever answers. Yeah, that's a no for me. Imagine needing a refill on your medication? By then I would have commited suicide. Hire help read more

Dr Jesalva "Dr. J" has been my LIFE SAVER. When I say life saver, I mean it. For the majority of my life, I've had anxiety and panic disorder, some of which has been physically debilitating. At the time, I was a 40 year old woman who had experienced many attacks, the one I had in November of 2018, lasting almost 2 weeks, was the final straw, and I knew I needed help. A phone call to Dr J's office, made by my sister (after witnessing a bad episode) was the beginning of my journey with Dr. J. He LISTENED, he had compassion, he kept me on track, he made me feel comfortable when "laying it all on the table," and I never felt judgement. Now, over the past 5 years, we continue our chats and he's referred me to some of the most incredible resources. Dr. Ed Jesalva is my mental health guru!! Thank you Dr. J for being in my corner!! read more

I am a physician and I can attest to the fact that this so-called "doctor" is a danger to his patients. He has prescribed FOUR TIMES the maximum dose of Adderall to my significant other, leading to a cardiac ablation (a procedure that essentially KILLS the heart nerves so that his heart rhythm doesn't become life-threatening). Adderall is KNOWN to cause this problem. You can see from his reviews that he CLEARLY over-prescribes medications. (Of course, the patients who like the effects of being on too high a dose LOVE him!). The Medical Board of California does not monitor Yelp reviews. If you want to prevent him from harming more innocent patients, please file a complaint with the California Medical Board. This is the link to the Medical Board. (You might have to copy and paste it). https://www.mbc.ca.gov/Resources/BreEZe-Resources-Center/Complaints.aspx Only if we all do our part will his license be revoked. read more

I initially saw Dr Jesalva following my divorce. It was the most difficult time of my life and Dr Jesalva helped me through it. I was stabilized and got on with my life. I asked him for help with respect to a Disability claim and he went above and beyond. Many years later I reached out to him for treatment again and he saved me. If you are seeking psychiatric care II recommend Dr Jesalva without reservation. read more

This man was the first doctor to medicate me properly HE SAVED MY LIFE. I have bipolar and had seen 3-4 doctors before him who all put me on medication that made me not only physically sick but mentally worse. I came to jesalva where he was kind and slowly transitioned me to the right medications. Im finally stable with my bipolar, happy, and healthy for the first time in almost a decade. I no longer feel depressed, I don't self harm anymore, and my moods are consistent. Thank you jesalva for all that you did. read more

I've been seeing Dr. Jesalva for several years now and he's helped me get on the right mental path. I've in fact reduced certain medications since seeing him. He's dependable and has a lot of experience to help anyone get into a good life routine. read more

Dr. Jesalva has been absolutely wonderful to work with. I've had severe anxiety and depression for over 20 years and last spring, a friend recommended Dr. Jesalva to me. I have to admit, I was skeptical, as I had been seeing another psychiatrist throughout this time and the medications he had prescribed did not work. I explained my situation to Dr. Jesalva during my first appointment. He went through my entire history (medical, psychiatric, personal) and he placed me on the right medications.....not over prescribing anything, just the correct levels for my brain to function correctly. It's now January of 2023 and I'm.......happy and content?????? My anxiety has almost dissipated and my depression is gone. It feels really wonderful. Dr. Jesalva is wonderful and his staff is great. I'm super thankful. read more

I have had struggles with mental illness for most of my life, that has been very disruptive, required that I be hospitalized numerous times and have even had struggles with suicidal thoughts. Dr. Jesalva has been able to help me find the perfect combinations of medicine to keep me happy, stable, satisfied with my life, and able to handle the bumps that life brings without any dips in my mental health, which is now the best it ever has been for the longest period of time. This is only due to Dr. Jesalva knowing how to monitor me and knowing what medicines work best for me with very minimal side effects. I have Dr. Jesalva to thank for my extremely good quality of life that starts with my mental health now being in tip top shape. Thank you Dr. Jesalva read more

Terrible bedside manner but I know that's common with many psychiatrists. It's incredibly sad to me how little these doctors care and all they want to do is prescribe pills and push more and more in you without really diagnosing properly. I've heard of other people complain about Jesalva as well. Apparently he retired and came back. It's a shame for anyone who continues to go to him as he really mistreated my family member who needed serious help. He just prescribed more and more and never took the time to figure out why the meds weren't working. read more

I have worked with Dr Jesalva for a couple years now. I find him to be responsive and professional. I also appreciate that he does not have knee-jerk reactions to just automatically prescribe more meds. He wants to understand what's happening and make informed decisions as to next steps. read more

Dangerous psychiatrist who over prescribes medication to the point of almost killing people. This man extremely harmed a member of my family and put them on a huge cocktail of drugs that damaged their health for life. None of the medications were needed actually at all. Jesalva misdiagnosed the patient. Jesalva spends little time finding out about the patient, is quick to diagnose without tests, and quick to prescribe potentially lethal doses of medication. You will also see pharmaceutical reps in and out of his office like crazy. Jesalva pays more attend to the pharmaceutical reps then he does the patient. I hope Jesalva that you get your lisence revoked. You are a horrible person. This man only cares about dealing drugs and making $$. See Jesalva if you want to die and lose everything you live for. Please report this man if you haven't already! read more

I have been a patient of Dr. Jesalva for over 5 yrs. He has a terrific manner and takes the time to address and then implement his treatment plan. You will see the results. read more

It took me a year for a new psychiatrist to wean me off of the SEVEN psychiatric medications dr jesalva put me on. I'm now on two. One of the first things a psychiatrist I had after him said was that he is very heavy handed. He then fails to communicate his "vacations" and leaves you without refills for prescriptions that going without make you psychically and mentally ill. But the worst part is his receptionist/personal assistant/wife sally. She insulted me, calling me "unstable" and that she knew I needed x and y meds when I was upset because I was withdrawing from my medication due to her mistake on communicating vacation times. I wouldn't be surprised if several HIPAA violations were broken with comments like that. Truly disgusted by all of this. And I hope sally feels good about herself for insulting a mentally ill and in-pain patient. I would not dream of recommending this place to anyone. read more

RUN, RUN RUN from this dangerous quack who creates addicts to line his pockets. I see the quack responded to my previous review. He responded that it's our family's fault that he overdosed our father because we didn't speak to him. My mother called this quack to tell him there were issues with my dad's medicine. Jesalva just joked with my dad to behave and proceeded to give him a refill of his pills! My mom told Jesalva that my dad was getting violent. Jesalva ignored this because getting rich by creating addicts is more important than a patient getting violent on meds. Jesalva saw my dad as a cash cow and that's how he views all of his patients. I also wanted to mention that in college I had issues focusing because my grandmother had recently died. My dad took me to this clown. This quack prescribed me meds that were heavily addictive and when I noticed I was getting hooked I stopped taking them. I went through withdrawals but was okay after not too long. I told my dad about this, I figure he told Jesalva, aka the quack, because Jesalva told my dad to get me back in for more meds. My dad called me panicked that I have to listen to this quack, I told my dad no and never saw the quack again, my life has been great and I wasn't hooked on 13 pills like my dad was. There's a special place in h3ll for the quack who lines his pockets by creating addicts. read more

This man is a very poor listener. He is busy writing scips and asks questions one has already addressed. I commented to him about his inattentiveness and was met with silence. He overprescribed unneeded meds such that I began to fall as a result. I developed knee and shoulder problems from repeated falls and my arthritis went from a back problem to one involving knees, shoulders and hips from falling episodes. Subsequently, a neurologist took one look at my meds and identified this as the reason for the falls. I required bilateral replacements for all three area but once off the meds he's prescribed, i no longer fall. Stay away from this uncaring business because that is all that he is. It's been years since I thought about my experience with this practitioner. He's in it for himself. read more

I began seeing Dr. Jesalva on referral by my therapist. I was nervous because I had been reluctant for many years to treat my anxiety with medication, but I had reached a point of being willing to try it. Dr. Jesalva was very respectful about my nervousness and hesitancy. He was always very patient with me and answered all of my questions and concerns. He took these concerns seriously and took the process very slowly with me. He connected with me often and asked me many questions. I always felt he truly listened to my concerns and would make decisions and changes based on them. Dr. Jesalva worked with me slowly and carefully until we found the exact medication that ended up working great for me. I was not a believer in medication for myself and had many reservations and worries about being overprescribed or not feeling like myself anymore. I've been incredibly happy to have reached a place where we have found the right medication for me that helps me feel calmer than I ever believed was possible for me, while still feeling very much like myself! I'm very grateful to Dr. Jesalva! read more

Dr. Jesalva is the worst psychiatrist I've ever been to (and I've seen more than a few). He was overly quick to diagnose me with bipolar disorder (which no other psychiatrist has recognized in me) and put me on a course of Latuda. After a week or so of horrific side-effects and no relief from my real depression and anxiety I had to stop taking it. He didn't seem sorry or even as though he cared whether I got better or not. I've never seen a more disinterested doctor in my life. If you're seeking psychiatric help in the SF valley area, please, see any doctor but this one. I haven't met a great psychiatrist in the area, but I have met the worst: Dr. Ed Jesalva. read more

Agree with many other comments here. Mostly indifferent, takes a few notes, writes some prescriptions for powerful medications. Often fails to return calls, even from those clearly in desperate need. read more

Throughout a lifetime of battling mental illness, Dr. Jesalva is by far the best psychiatrist I've worked with. He is thorough, takes the time to get the full picture, and truly knows what he is doing. He's the first doctor to properly diagnose and find medication that works wonders. read more

Not sure how this person who lacks the most basic level of compassion can actually be a licensed psychiatrist. If you want a doctor who never calls you back, will not squeeze you in for an appointment in person or even via phone to adjust medication levels - this is the guy for you. I have witnessed my friend be neglected by this doctor in her most dire time of need and it's truly disheartening. I wouldn't trust my worst enemy with this doctor. Very sad to see an apathetic person like Dr. Jesalva be allowed to practice medicine, especially mental health. Overall review- Caution, do not go to this doctor. read more

When I met Dr. Jesalva, I was in a horrible place in my life. Through his excellent knowledge of psychiatric medication, I was able to turn my life around for the better. I'm currently attending college and living on my own and to be honest, I've never been happier. So I want to thank Dr. Jesalva for helping me get to a place in my life where I can become successful. I highly recommend going to see him. read more

I have been seeing Ed Jesalva for two years, and find his services very helpful. He listens attentively, asks appropriate questions and, in my opinion, makes sound diagnoses. He requires regular appointments to gauge the effectiveness of new treatments, and is willing/able to modify treatment based upon patient feedback. Dr Jesalva has been available for phone check-ins periodically. I truly feel he has my best interests at heart, and is very well qualified. His office often advises me on lowering treatment costs. The nature of this speciality, and it's myriad treatments mean that not everyone agrees. This is to be expected. I highly recommend this doctor. read more

I don't usually Yelp, but my experience was so bad with his office manager trying to make an appointment that I thought I should. After speaking to her one week & thinking I had a much needed appointment for a certain date and time I emailed to confirm, & left a message to confirm she called me the night before and told me the appointment was never made because I had not given her credit card information & that she didn't think I was serious. I can understand a mis communication but it was her tone and her rudeness that was quite concerning for someone in this position, my husband walked in the room while I was on speaker with her & I said can you come listen to this lady & she said 'we're done here, goodbye" & hung up on me. I really think the doctor should know how she is with people. After reading some of the other reviews I am now thankful that I never actually saw the doctor. What a blessing. read more

Doctor was decent when I could see him, but office hours are terrible and the staff is even worse. If you are on medication that requires refills, beware. The staff doesn't answer phones during normal business hours nor do they return calls. Even on the doctor's "emergency" line, he doesn't answer or return calls. I've been off medication for a week because they went on a 2 week vacation without informing patients or checking answering service. I just called to leave a message for the doctor and was literally chewed out by Sally, someone who works for the doctor. It is clear that you cannot reach the doctor with any messages if his staff deem them unnecessary or unflattering to them. Worst doctor and office experience of my life. Do yourself a favor and keep looking. read more

I actually can use a VA doctor for free as I have a service connected disability from the Iraq war. I pay cash to see this doctor. He is a 1000 times better than the psychiatrist's I've seen in the past. He actually listens to you. Don't understand the 5 or 6 poor reviews he has on yelp. Probably people who didn't get the unneeded drugs they were hoping for. read more

Dr Jesalva Is a poor excuse for a doctor. Don't waste your money because that is all he is interested in. I am seriously considering legal action for his irresponsible practices. He did not spend time with evaluating issues & was quick to prescribe pills & more pills with no regard to the medications the patient was currently taking or evaluating the patients problems. Don't waste your time & money on the hell that comes with this mans practice. I should have noted all the poor reviews earlier. read more

At first I thought he was great but as time went by I realized I was over diagnosed and was given more medication than I needed. I looked online and turns out he gets kickbacks from drug companies, which I find to be no surprise. https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/query?utf8=%E2%9C%93&query=Jesalva&state=CA&commit=Search PLUS: His staff will interact with your insurance, without contacting you first, and then bill you for the time they spent without your knowledge or consent. If you want to spend a lot of money for no reason by all means go ahead but I recommend otherwise. read more

Very pleased...seen many mds and finally got it right! Worth the wait...very caring and empathic with my history and concerns but doesnt take any bs, which is what i need. Just wish he accepted insurance. O well.... read more

Dr. Jesalva is a great, patient, knowledgeable doctor who began treating me many years ago. My condition began postpartum with my second child. I saw other doctors, but none were able to help me with what became a debilitating condition. Dr. Jesalva was able to find the right combination of medications to get me functioning again. After a while, my symptoms began to lessen, and I was able to return to a normal life. Luckily, I have been healthy and thriving for many, many years now, and Dr. Jesalva has been there for me along the way, adjusting my medications as needed. I would highly recommend Dr. Jesalva (and I have) to anyone who is struggling with mental health issues. read more

Dr. Jesalva is expensive and only cares about your money. He wants to see you every month for about 10 minutes to ask you the same questions. During your visit, he seems apathetic, checked out, and bored. Sally Jesalva is in charge of scheduling appointments and communication. She is incredibly rude and constantly overcharges your credit card without any price breakdown or receipts. Consider yourself lucky if Dr. Jesalva or Sally responds to any of your emails, text messages, or phone calls. I explained to Sally that I am struggling financially due to COVID-19 and would like to see Dr. Jesalva every three months. She said, "if you don't like our prices, then you are welcome to find another psychiatrist." Shortly after, Dr. Jesalva refused to refill my prescription, and I went into withdrawals and had to visit urgent care. I then asked him for my medical record, and he refused, so I reported him to the medical board. When I needed him to sign my short-term disability paperwork, he refused even though I was suffering because of his inadequate care. This man should have his license taken away for unethical conduct and negligence. read more