Dr. Ulla Kristiina Laakso

Neil F.

Joined 8 months ago

I have been seeing Dr. Laakso for 8 years and have found her to be a wonderful, caring, and compassionate doctor. She is completely professional and treats her patients with respect and dignity. I consider myself very fortunate to have Dr. Laakso in my corner and would strongly recommend her to anyone who needs a friend.

Megan S.

Joined 10 months ago

I am very disturbed that this woman is still practicing...I thought she was strangely rude and impatient during our talk together.

I was even more put off when she tried to prescribe me medication to treat bipolar disorder. She then tried to avoid giving me a real diagnose. She just handed me the prescription paper and drug name. I had to ask her straight out "are you saying I'm bipolar?" which she finally said yes to.

1. What type of professional doesn't address your diagnosis before giving you pills

2. More importantly, I don't have bipolar disorder!

This seems like a scam to me. Why is she constantly pushing pills fo bipolar disorder and adult ad/hd??? Why not just admit to specializing in maniac depression?? She seems qualified enough...why can't she diagnose anyone with anything else?

She distorted me words. Refused to let me explain or elaborate with relevant information to her generic questions ("yes or no answers. thats it"). It was just an awful experience and it sickens me she still has a medical license.

Doesn't Recommend

Elizabeth T.

Joined 1 year ago

Stay away!!!. I find it extremely disturbing that this woman is still practising, she is very dangerous.

She misdiagnosed me with bipolar disorder about ten years ago and prescribed medication which was very detrimental to my health and well being.

What does it take to have rogue practitioners like this put out of practice? I see on another website that she has a couple of malpractice settlements, one with a larger than average payout, but with the number of people that she has harmed over the years she really should have had her license revoked.

Please, please do not go to this doctor, even if you have been referred to her, she should be avoided at all costs.

Doesn't Recommend

M P.

Joined 1 year ago

WARNING!!!!!!!!!!!. I am saddened to read that other people have had the same HORRIBLE experience that I had with this woman, who should not be allowed to call herself a doctor in my opinion. I was looking through some old paperwork and found a prescription she wrote me back in 2007 for (yup, you guessed it) DEPAKOTE. I googled her today to check up on her, hoping that she had been forced out of practice by now. But, no, I see that she is still taking advantage of people who are suffering and vulnerable and coming to her for help. When I went to her, I had been on Zoloft for years (prescribed by my General Practitioner) but I decided I wanted to get a "real psych doctor's" opinion because it seemed like the Zoloft wasn't working as well as it had been and I was quite depressed about some recent physical injuries that were bad enough for me to have to take disability leave from my job. On my first visit, after having me sit in a room by myself, watch a video, and fill out a survey, and then meet with her for maybe 5 minutes, she also MISDIAGNOSED me as BIPOLAR and prescribed me Depakote. She also prescribed me RESTORIL, as I was having trouble sleeping, and told me I needed to dramatically change my sleep schedule and start going to sleep at 9:00PM. Like others, I guess I was so desperate and she seemed credible enough that I gave it a try. It was a disaster. Horrible side effects - nausea, dizziness. I was much worse off than before I saw her and could not function for days. It seems like she is doing some kind of study for herself or the pharma company that makes Depakote perhaps? Thank god I have since found a real doctor/psychiatrist who takes the time to sit and talk with me (for 45 minutes each time) and works in partnership with my therapist to make an accurate diagnosis (I actually have chronic depression & anxiety) and prescribe the proper medications. I can't remember how I found out about her but it was really one of the most TRAUMATIC experiences of my life. She may have helped some other people, but just please BE WARNED, be cautious, get a second opinion, and know that there are other well-qualified doctors out there who won't push their own agenda on you.

Doesn't Recommend

dlabar

Joined 7 years ago

Be careful. You will walk into her office, impressed by her pedigree, office decor and full of hope. You will meet her, she won't allow you to speak. Instead, she will ask you a list of questions about your family's history of mental illness- convinced that everyone in your family has mental illness. Even though you are barely allowed to speak, she will declare that she has the perfect solution for you. Then, you will watch a video tape that is all about bi-polar disorder. I've never been diagnosed with that before. Despite never having exhibited symptoms of mania, you will walk out with a prescription for Depakote ER, which is used to treat bi-polar, especially controlling the "mania" which I never had. She will often prescribe a cocktail of other drugs to go along with it. She is convinced of her treatment despite the fact that you are barely allowed to describe how you feel. Depakote is a strong drug and I would caution against taking it unless you truly have bi-polar. I left the office, and never went back. Second opinion... next!

Doesn't Recommend

Samantha C.

Joined 2 years ago

RUN RUN AWAY FROM THIS WOMAN!. I would give her a negative number, but that is not availble.

This woman should not be practicing as a doctor. She has no interest in treating her patients. I agree with the below remarks concerning her only diagnosis being for bipolar. She took me off my previous medication and put me on a medicine treatment for bipolar. We went over how I do not have bipolar disorder several times. I have never been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but being a trusting patient who was referred by a doctor she likes (who will be told to update her referral list not to include this woman) I took the new medication. I had severe side effects. I thought it was just stress, until the effects were so bad I could barely walk around my room without feeling so dizzy and tingle-ridden that I called her office to see what I should do. Well that was no help. She says to only call 911 if the office hours are closed. My effects were bad, but not 911 costs bad (I would just need to know to stop taking it). She only had a number for physicians to reach her after hours, so I called that number. Nothing for over a day. I called my aunt who is a psychiatrist and thankfully she was able to help me. I had to immediately stop taking the medication. She said it was wrong for a psychiatrist not to have a doctor on call on the weekends and a line for messages to always be checked despite office hours being closed. I truly believe had I continued the medication my effects would have made me become bipolar. This woman needs to review the Hippocratic oath and DO NO HARM! RUN RUN RUN away and do not ever look back if you even consider seeing her. DO NOT be fooled by her awards all over her office praising her as "best this" and "best that". She must have gotten it all done at Kinko's. I will now be seeking treatment elsewhere and pray that I NEVER have to have that bad of an episode again.

Recommends

vertimus

Joined 2 years ago

A Great Doctor Who Greatly Altered My Life For The Better. I've been seeing Dr. Laakso since 1996, during which time she's been extremely helpful, professional, and knowledgeable. She has helped me enormously.

I went to her when I was hopelessly depressed (and, as it turns out, 'clinically'), and the medications she prescribed turned my life around for the better.

Had I known Dr. Laakso in my 20s and early 30s, and been able to take the medications she prescribed, I might have lived a more fulfilling and 'successful' life much earlier.

I was wholly open to her interpetations of my illness; after describing it for about 5 minutes, she said, "I think I can tell you the rest of your symtoms," and then did so, with 100% accuracy, even to the time of early morning I would suddenly awake with a jolt and be unable to return to sleep.

I recommend her highly; most of the happiness I have known in the second half of my life, I owe to her.

By the way, In regard to some of the comments here, Dr. Laakso did not, and never has, diagnose me as bi-polar.

Doesn't Recommend

amberNYC

Joined 2 years ago

Im shocked this woman is still practicing medicine!. after reading all the outrageous reviews online, im stunned that she's still treating patients. I had the worst experience with her, similar to the other complaining patients. After i informed her at my first visit that i was on lexapro for years and was feeling fine, she nevertheless proceeded to decrease my dose and told me she had no replacement plan but we would see after i was off lexapro. Questioned further, she recommended various drugs generally prescribed for bipolar disorder, which i never had and schizophrenia, which i also notably do not have. I got out of there as fast as I could and I see now how lucky I was to terminate treatment with her before she completely destabilized me with her incompetent medical advice. Question is, how is she still allowed to treat patients? Most of the other patients I encountered in her waiting room behaved like zombies and her staff is rude and of very low intelligence.

Doesn't Recommend

ChrisOm

Joined 3 years ago

THE WORST DR ON THE PLANET. Where do I begin? not everyone is Bi-Polar but Dr Laakso thinks so, she prescibes meds like candy, the most uncaring Dr I have ever met, she does not listen to the patients concerns, but some of the most gorgeous offices I have seen, if this is what matters to you, she only prescribes meds and doesnt listen or care about a thing you have to say, the worst experience of my life and the drugs she prescribes are mostly new, guess she is in with the pharmacuticals co's. DREADFUL and SCARY experience

Recommends

talleuro

Joined 9 years ago

Good at prescribing rx. Dr. Laakso is skilled at finding the medication that works best for a patient. However, for patients that are stable, she still requires an office visit for each prescription citing NY State Law. However, NY State Law does not require a visit for each prescription and also permits the mailing of prescription (see NY State Health Publication # 1477). Dr. Laakso won't do the latter either.