Dear Dr. Duk,
I am writing to formally document and object to the manner in which you conducted my intake appointment on Saturday, February 31, 2026. I have lived with severe, treatment-resistant mental illness since the young age of nine, including Rapid Cycling Bipolar II, OCD, CPTSD, Anorexia, and Binge Eating Disorder. Over my lifetime I have survived two suicide attempts (one nearly fatal), seven psychiatric hospitalizations, more than eighteen failed medication trials, the loss of twenty-six
jobs, missed life-altering opportunities, and the forced surrender of my independence. Despite this, I have never given up. A few days before our appointment, I completed my Registered Dental Assistant certification amidst heightening symptoms. This is the first program I have completed since high school in 2012; it was very difficult. Unsure of my future, but hopeful nonetheless, I came to
you during a period of acute vulnerability. I sought your care believing that, as both a psychiatrist and a Catholic, you might offer informed guidance grounded in clinical rigor and Christian compassion. Instead, I left feeling dismissed, minimized, and disenfranchised.
Your intake process fell far below the standard of psychiatric care, being solely rooted in apathy. In a $300.00 out of pocket one-hour evaluation intended to understand a patient comprehensively, you asked few questions which left me to lead the session while you remained disengaged, avoided eye contact, and appeared confused while typing excessively. When I disclosed that my current medications are the sole reason I am alive today, although still deeply struggling, you bypassed my mental health history entirely and responded without assessment, empathy, or clinical inquiry, but abruptly pivoted to a discussion about the potential deadly effects of those medications on hypothetical future pregnancies. This was done without context, sensitivity, or relevance to my acute psychological state. In that moment, my lived reality, my survival, and my immediate need for care were eclipsed by speculation that was neither clinically appropriate nor ethically justified. This interaction demonstrated a profound disregard for trauma-informed practice, basic psychiatric priorities, and the duty to meet a patient with presence, attentiveness, and care.
Finally, the advice you offered--"just do it, like from the Nike logo," "persevere through your ups and downs," and "read books, journal, work out, pray" --was both clinically shallow and dismissive of the realities of severe mental illness. Reducing decades of documented illness and survival to platitudes conveyed indifference, not care. I came to you for hope, not slogans; for expertise, not generic advice; for compassion, not shrugging dismissal. I am submitting this letter so that you understand the impact of your conduct and so that no other vulnerable patient seeking help in good
faith--especially under the banner of shared faith--leaves feeling as unseen and abandoned as I did.
Due to my ongoing mental illness, I do not have a job and therefore an income to support myself. Because of this I depend on my parents for all of my treatment and care. By wasting not just my time, but their money, I am expecting a full refund as consequence.
Sincerely,
Maria Fernandez read more
