Dr. Hicks is really good. He's lots of experience, cares, and listens well. I'd definitely recommend.

Dr. Hicks is a great doctor. Most strikingly is his caring and compassion. My situation is complicated- Dr. Hicks is knowledgeable of meds and their interactions. He stabilized me through meds and therapy. I feel terrific and able to function in the world again. Thank you, Dr. Hicks! read more

Old doctor, taking advantage of technologic system, but it works both ways. FRIST..... billing, he requires a credit card/debit card for billing co-pays. Fine. But, don't send bills 18 months later, trying to charge for the same copays that you charged my card on file. There are transaction records. Then, the BS being late for appointments via phone!?! I have left msgs before my appt to call me at my office #, because my cell service reception is not good at work. Guess where he calls.... my cell ph. THen he calls twice and deems missed appointment. BS! Then I suggest, the patient should call him to show that the patient made the appointment time....no..... he wants to be able to make more money. Each call is less than 5 minutes. He is not even in San Diego, he's in Palm Springs making calls. It's past Covid era, we can meet in person, so these frivolous missed appt charges don't occur. First billing will try to charge for extra co-pays, then they will send bills for not charging insurance and expect full dr appt fees......HORRIBLE BILLING PRACTICES....illegal/fraud. SECOND......can't ask questions during session. He doesn't want to be interrupted. He won't send refills to your pharmacy. He wants the pharmacy to have to call him, then send fax request, so he doesn't have to do anything. Lazy. Unprofessional. THIRD......he continues to see you every year. THen his billing person decides to not tell you they change insurance acceptances, so they send you BS bills a year later and still doesn't inform you that they don't take your insurance, but continue to bill co-pays and not credit you of course and bill you for full sessions. CORRUPT! UNPROFESSIONAL! Find yourself a better doctor. Horrible business practices and horrible doctor. How can you not ask questions during your paid session?!? read more

Dr. Hicks is outstanding. In the many years I have seen him his conscientious professionalism has been flawless. I recommend him wholeheartedly. read more

I have been seeing Dr. Hicks for appx. 10 years. I very much appreciate him, and the things he does tohold his boundaries with his patients. I am giving him the highest praise. He has worked with me continuously to help meld my disease medication with safe knowledgeable psych meds. I appreciate his attention to details and current information. He is great. I have gone to him for over 20 years!!' read more

An extremely unreliable, dangerously forgetful man who once perhaps could be called a doctor, but now serves more as a mechanism to injure his patients instead of help. I HIGHLY recommend looking literally anywhere else for your mental health care. I have been a patient for years and in that time he has forgotten my medication, forgotten what he's prescribed, forgotten to fill prescriptions, and has completely blanked out "not remembering" certain things and specific conversations I have on voicemail. He uses an outdated archaic system that requires you to fax him should you need any simple communication. I am not sure why he is still practicing. read more

Dr Hicks is terrific. He has made a big positive difference in my life and I highly recommend him.

He helped save my life 23 years ago, and am Hoping he can help me now. Douglas Edward Honeycutt, 62 years old, D.I.D., in Phoenix Az.,. Have been so mistreated and dropped by Phsyc persons and medical companies who say they deal with Personality Disorders, only to have them drop me, not believing in DID and to tell me I am hard to communicate with, (gee, I am 19 parts). Then push me into Medicine Withdrawals, ( Xanax), etc.,. read more

Howard R Hicks, MD - Psychiatrists Near Me - San Diego, California

I write this out of concern for future patients. Dr. Hicks is extremely negligent. He told me I needed to get an EKG to receive a particular prescription, and then sent me a prescription before I sent the EKG, and then forgot he sent me the prescription. He also lost my insurance referral and then tried to charge me out of pocket. When prescribing me a new medication, he totally forgot I was on another medication he prescribed me and never asked once during our appointment how I was doing with that. Really unbelievable - I hope that he decides to retire soon before causing any more harm. read more

He is one of the best doctors ever. Smart, empathetic and dialed in. Can safely say he saved my life. read more

Howard R Hicks, MD - Psychiatrists Near Me - San Diego, California

Dr. Hicks is great at what he does and really cares for his patients. Highly recommended

I'm upset that Yelp has chosen to filter a 5 star review for Dr Hicks from 3 years ago and leaves this one up! I approached Dr Hicks thinking I was depressed. While his approach may be brusque to some, I finished our first hour very happy. He managed to get in 1.5 hours worth of questions in ... and he asked me every question I found on the Internet when trying to research depression. When I asked him about my ADD, he gave me a suggestion of a book to read... and laughed at the irony of it but did say, try to open it, read a couple pages here, there, doesn't matter if they're in order. We'll talk when we meet next month... Years later, I'm still under his care and have referred everyone I care about to him. And they're all still under his care. Dr Hicks is caring and gives thoughtful answers to all the crazy questions I come up with about being crazy. Tip: you can park in the garage just south of his building. With validation, it is $2 to park there. Street parking is mostly available on 4th, but not if you're cutting the appointment time too closely. read more

A top-notch therapist in every respect! He listens carefully and responds with solid, thoughtful steps you can take to help make your personal insight more accurate and your life more satisying. read more

The most caring, professional and "human" Psychiatrists to be found. He knows what he is doing, and is straightforward while being compassionate. One of the few Psychiatrists who is truly professional and at the same time you know he cares. read more

I have been with Dr. Randy Hicks since 2001 when I first saw him for PTSD as fallout from my proximity to the WTC on 9/11. Through the years Dr. Hicks has always been here for me. My pleasure to give him a 5-star review. read more

The worst psychiatrist that I have seen. He seems to have more serious problems than I do. His method does not allow you to interrupt him. You have to ask questions at the end of the session but not questions of previously discussed topics. When I told him "I may have to interrupt you if I remember any questions that I missed in the last session and he got upset. I asked him if that would bother him and he said yes he got up open the door and slammed it behind me. I didn't see him again after that. read more

I want to add that Dr. Hicks saved my life when I thought it was over, he worked with me, he made me well again and has NEVER not called back or left a message. He is wonderful, empathetic and I would recommend him to anyone seeking help. His professionalism is straightforward and he doesn't beat around the bush, you don't have to beg for his attention he pays attention to you and he's not overwhelmed and over worked like others that I have heard of. Thank you Dr. Hicks for bringing me back in to the light. read more

Most important-- he is calls you back! Easy to build rapport with, he listens to what you're saying (and what you're not saying), he thinks about your goals and how to achieve them (with or without medication). read more

Thoughtful, considerate, compassionate, and caring. I simply cannot recommend him more highly.

I've been seeing Dr. Hicks for about a year. He's kind, thoughtful, responsive and helpful. He's always been very accommodating with schedules and call returns. I'm very glad to have him as my doctor, and highly recommend him! read more

I would not recommend Dr. Hicks. Despite paying all of my copays and 1 no show penalty on time and with my debit card statement on hand he still sends bills. Bills turn into threatening letters. When I showed his biller my banking statement they removed the copays but kept sending threatening letters causing me to show the same banking statement again. This went on for at least 6 months and Dr. Hicks was unhelpful even with proof of payment from my bank matching up with each visit we had. I don't want to discuss finances with my psychiatrist. read more

Dr. Hicks is great He keeps the appointments very brief, but he is very smart and more importantly not a pill pusher! He has also been very good about returning all of my calls the same day. read more

He was recommended to me by a friend who also receives services. He returns calls promptly & I feel listens well to my concerns so that we are able to identify the proper course of action to treat my difficulties. He is very nice as well :) I actually drive in from 5 hours away to see him because I no longer live in the area. read more

I wish I could give ZERO stars! After three appointments I fired this guy. By the second session he was asking me which medication he should put me on, Effexor or Buspar. Do some research and you'll see they are totally different. He ended up putting me on Effexor when their are much better meds for depression. If you look on the internet you will see this is a hell drug with terrible side effects and worse discontinuation side effects! It is known as the worst depression med to discontinue! People are taking Effexor's manufacturer to court. Yet Dr Hicks didn't mention any of this....it will take months for me to discontinue the medication at a slow taper and the first week has been a living hell keeping me bedbound and in terrible pain and discomfort. If that isn't bad enough he also put me on long term Clonazapam--one of the most addictive drugs that can take from months to years to withdraw from according to data. It also has unbearable side effects. Celebrities have written about their terrible time getting off of it even when doing so properly. I will likely have to go to a drug treatment program to go off the low dose of this medication and detox--but with a minimum of months I cannot begin that process yet. One article from a prominent journal called this the deadliest drug in America and it is considered worse than Meth! Ironically that is not why I fired him. Frankly I found him to be what in my opinion amounts to an ASS HOLE. He made a comment about my PCP which was innappropriate and unprofessional when I asked to reschedule with him providing only 23 vs 24 hours notice. He is an inflexible jerk. I saw my PCP that date--who is awesome--and told her I was firing him after seeing her because he is an "ass hole." I have no problem telling anyone my opinion about his assholery! Additionally--I paid him two co-pays in cash because he doesn't have an office staff and takes for ever to run the credit card. Despite letters and attempts to clarify Dr. Hicks is now sending me threatening letters--like a bully--about the two $25 payments that he put in his pocket and didn't write me a receipt for. I trusted him as a professional. BAD IDEA! So he makes around $200 an hour (ish) and wants my $50 which I already paid...and has spent more time trying to get it while I have vehemently insisted I paid cash--because its true. The day I fired him was the best day in the journey for mental health! I decided to no longer deal with any people who make me feel worse after seeing them than before and opt for those who help me to feel better. That is a good rule for M.D's no? But I practice it in all of life. I look forward to taking this gentleman to court for not providing any warning about the discontinuation syndrome or side effects to his very ill Pt when prescribing. I was in NO state to do so on my own at that time. I have found that the M.D.s at Psychiatric Centers of San Diego much better!!! read more

Dr. Hicks is great. He is very considerate and detail oriented. He returns calls and messages promptly.

Dr. Hicks is one of the most empathetic, understanding, thorough and professional Psychiatrist I've ever met. My therapist recommended him and I'll forever be grateful for her recommendation. Before I even met with Dr. Hicks; He was reliable and followed through by calling me back within hours of calling him during my attempts of scheduling a new patient appointment. During that time we played phone tag and yet he was still very patient, friendly, calm and understanding. As a cash paying patient I was not only anxious for his opinion but reluctant due to encountering many Psychiatrist who aren't very thorough and are "pill pushers." Dr. Hicks demeanor was non-threatening, welcoming, inviting, calm and overall just "safe." He didn't rush me or make me feel like an inconvenience in any way. He was very clear and assertive when he asked me questions and made sure I understood them in order to best understand why I was seeking his professional opinion and to get a complete understanding of who I am, what I do, how I act and why I do the things that I do. He genuinely listens and reassures you that he understands you. Needless to say, I walked out of my appointment feeling hopeful and I cant emphasize enough how that felt. I highly recommend him. I foresee myself continuing my care with him while I'm in the process of working through my healing. Again, I can't express enough how respectful Dr. Hicks was and how effortless the appointment felt. I felt like I belonged in his care. read more

I didn't know you could rate doctors on yelp! Well to further legitimize this forum, or deligitimize it, yelp is not a medical professional forum. I am not a medical professional, that is my disclaimer. However I will use facts to back up my claims. Dr. Hicks is a superb professional and he also handles adult ADD. I have been seeing him for well over 2 years, and his actions when we first met led to a life saving procedure. I live and thrive with add, however in 2009, when him and I first met, ADD was keeping me down and out. So I went on Strattera, which worked brilliantly for quite some time, however the benefits wore off and we discussed replacing strattera with a stimulant. Dr. Hicks made the stimulant prescription contingent on an EKG; I am not sure why he wanted me to scheduled an EKG, it could of been my medical history, or he most likely does this with everyone. The small EKG test found a big problem in my heart. I had a bicuspid aortic valve with a root aneurysm; I needed surgery basically to correct this. Long story short, Dr. Hicks did used my medical history and did what was best for me. I would hear how easy it was to get adderall/stimulants for ADD therapy, however my situation proved otherwise. I am thankful for his expertise and I recommend him to others. read more

Dr. Hicks has been nothing but helpful to me. I'm somewhat appalled at some of the old, negative reviews, Dr. Hicks isn't any of those things. My experiences are not the same likely because I take responsibility for the multiple times I have screwed up the billing, talked it through with the billing person, and not tried to be my own doctor acting as if I am in consultation with another doctor. I am a patient who went to Dr. Hicks in sad, serious condition, and got immediate help regarding a very difficult diagnosis to hear late in life. He has listened to both my successes and mistakes with his prescriptions, and made sure I was taking advantage of his outside counseling and other recommendations. He's a good man, and well versed on Adult ADHD. Dr. Hicks is who you want to see regarding any medication evaluation as that applies to psychiatric behavior. He is a professional, and a caring one. I've recommended him many times to others. read more