TLDR: If you have bipolar, Dr. Z is your man. If you don't, no worries, he'll treat you for bipolar…read moreanyways. ;)
The 1st visit he kept saying he 'didn't have time' to listen to me, yet he had time to ask why I looked different from my picture in my chart. 'when did you cut your hair? Why did you shave the sides?' I have long hair in my profile picture. I have an undercut now. He spent no time building rapport, and was merciless asking questions about my trauma. He wanted very specific details. I've never had a psychiatrist need to know such specific details. It was traumatizing. He wasted a great deal of time wanting to know all about where I went for therapy 35 years ago, but didn't have the time to listen to my questions and concerns about what was occurring now. I kept asking 'Is this necessary?' He kept saying, "I'm just trying to get a timeline. Please answer the question. We only have so much time." He also tried to convince me to quit seeing my outside therapist, who I work well with, and instead see one at his clinic. I left upset and angry. I should not have gone back.
The second visit was a video visit and he was mad at me that my sound wasn't working. He phoned and kept telling me to check my settings. He was getting agitated, so to calm him down I said, 'this seems to be working ok, lets just do it this way on the phone.'
The third visit was the last. I have severe anxiety and I laugh when I'm nervous. A inexperienced psych nurse provider diagnosed me years ago with Bipolar II and put me on lithium, which did nothing, then she switched me to an antipsychotic mood stabilizer. Eventually I developed Tardive Dyskinesia, which is a very likely risk with mood stabilizers. I was unaware, but the Latuda I was on has a 30% chance of causing Tardive Dyskinesia if taken long term. I stopped the medication, but the TD never fully went away. I have it permanently now and will have to deal with that for the rest of my life. I was fine emotionally for months after stopping the medication. Then a very stressful life upheaval occurred and I was having problems with anxiety again.
My therapist suggested a low dose of an SSRI. I was very nervous asking. I was afraid of this man and I have a hard time talking about my feelings. So I was laughing. I told him I laugh when I'm nervous. It seemed he didn't read his previous notes and I grew frustrated having to explain for the third time who I was and why I was there. So I was angry too. He didn't understand why I was so upset about the lingering Tardive Dyskinesia. He asked me angrily, "Who told you that you have tardive dyskinesia?" (my previous psych NP and my neurologist...) I asked him if he could consult with my therapist, he refused saying, "I see 15 patients a day, I do not have the time to consult with an outside therapist." Maybe see less people so you can do your job perhaps? So I said, "I'm sorry. I don't think this is working out, I'd like to end the call now." He refused. He said, "No let's not do that!" He continued to try and convince me I had bipolar II disorder, I was hypomanic, and I should be on lithium not an antidepressant. Lithium does absolutely nothing for me except make me feel fog headed. So I hung up on him. I should have trusted my gut after the first visit and not gone back.
A different provider I saw later asked me this question about my insomnia, "But do you want to and need to sleep?" I said "YES! I'm so tired! But I CAN'T because I'm so anxious!" She said, "Then it's not hypomania. You aren't bipolar, you have severe anxiety and ptsd." No one had asked me that question before. She prescribed an SSRI, which I had taken before and did well on. The difference is night and day. I sleep 7 to 8 hours a night just fine without any other medication except the SSRI. My anxiety is much more manageable now. I'm doing a lot better. No thanks to Dr. Zanolli.