Dr. Smita H. Patel, MD — Psychiatrist in Washington, DC

Dr. Patel and I have done some life-changing work together. When I came to her I was a mess. She's carefully and patiently listened to my voice and words while observing my mood to craft a treatment plan that helped me get my life back while enriching my time with my family. Would absolutely recommend.

I have been seeing Dr. Patel for over two years now, so I can say with authority that she has zero emotional intelligence and absolutely no self awareness of social cues, and on top of that, clearly doesn't listen to a word her patients say. I have never been treated by a doctor or mental health professional the way she treated me. I was behind on getting bloodwork, and she actually raised her voice at me while I was explaining that I was unable to do so due to a long list of personal and professional responsibilities. I begged her to see eye-to-eye with me as I explained how tired I was due to all of the previously mentioned responsibilities, and how not taking the medication had caused me to have a complete mental breakdown the previous week. Even after this long explanation, she clearly didn't listen to me as she threatened to take away one of my medications, saying that the medication was probably making me tired instead. She doesn't listen to her patients, she has zero interest in their actual mental health, and she's one of the most awkward doctors I've ever had the displeasure of working with. After this aggravating conversation where she actually raised her voice at me, she dismissed me as a patient. Save yourself the annoyance, and do not book an appointment with her.

If I could give 10 stars I would! Dr. Patel is a caring, supportive and excellent psychiatrist. She recently helped us navigate a crisis with my daughter. She truly cares about her patients and their families. Unlike many psychiatrists, Dr. Patel is very relatable and very warm. I would recommend her without qualification.

I've known Dr. Patel since I was a child, when she cared for my mother, and she has always been the most caring, compassionate, and professional doctor. I started seeing her in my teens for anxiety and depression, and she found the right medication for me and taught me skills (such as breathing exercises) to help manage my symptoms and achieve stability. She has always been open-minded and willing to listen to and talk through my concerns, often more effectively than many of the talk therapists I've been to. In addition to her qualities as a doctor, her office has always been very accommodating and her staff very friendly. Whenever I needed to reschedule an appointment or refill a prescription, her office has been prompt and efficient at fulfilling my request. I can't recommend her enough. Thank you for everything, Dr. Patel.

I have known Dr. Patel for a year and a half right now, and she is an outstanding physician. She is the type of person you can turn to for advice and encouragement. Dr. Patel tries the best to accommodate your schedule and can offer valuable contacts for any treatment you may need. She is extremely knowledgeable on bipolar disorder and all types of disorders.

I have not had the pleasure of working with Dr. Patel personally, but I can say that the work that she has done with husband was amazing. She helped him get through a very difficult time. Her focus on holistic wellness and the complete person helped him gain the clarity he needed to truly move forward into becoming the the person he wanted to be and husband and father we needed him to be. We are forever grateful to her.

I was referred to Dr. Patel by my doctor simply for a second opinion about one very specific issue. It was difficult to book a new-client appointment, even though I was very insistent it was only going to be a one-time, short visit; she apparently only sees a handful of new patients a month. Despite her incredibly negative reviews all over the internet and that it took me 6 weeks to get in to see her, I stuck through and saw her. Dr. Patel is very friendly but that only goes so far because she doesn't truly listen to what the patient is saying. I fully explained why I was there, what my doctor wanted her to focus on, and what my doctor was suggesting as potential medication. She completely ignored what my doctor was saying, despite my insistence to stick to the subject and to focus on HIS original thoughts and to get an opinion on THOSE specific thoughts. She then prescribed me a completely different medication than what my regular doctor was thinking, said it would start to kick in in a fews weeks, but that she wanted to start seeing me on a weekly basis starting the next week anyways... I explained I was not willing to do this and that I really only was interested in her second opinion, as that was the SOLE reason I was there. Her response to that was, "Okay how about in two weeks I see you?" Additionally, Dr. Patel said she would communicate within the next couple of days to my doctor how our appointment went. Over a week later when I went to go see my doctor, he said he had not heard from her and was very surprised by how the appointment went and what she wanted to do. Again, Dr. Patel is a kind woman in my limited experience, and her being in network for health insurance which is rare, but I would not recommend her based on both my personal experience and the plethora of ubiquitous negative reviews on multiple platforms throughout the internet. I will not be seeing her again. Update: After posting my initial review, Dr. Patel replied to it within a few hours and said that my review was "absolutely vindictive & capricious in nature" (her go-to on bad reviews) and claimed that the majority of bad reviews about her were about other doctors "around the globe" with her same name. A laughably lame excuse if she wasn't a medical professional... Changed my review from two stars to one star.

I have received treatment from Dr. Patel for several years. I have found her to be quite nice and always willing to spend the necessary time with me to discuss whatever symptoms I had or just my overall mood. I think she genuinely cares about the clients she treats. In short, I think she is an excellent practitioner.

I’ve been working with Dr Patel for about 4 years. Right away she fixed my meds and has been helping me ever since. I didn’t have to even go through the process of “try and see” that is common with medications. The first combination she tried was the right fit. I would recommend Dr. Patel if you are looking for a talented physician/psychiatrist who is conscientious about prescribing and is very reliable as a long-term doctor.

When I went to see Dr Patel, I was helpless and trying to figure out what was wrong. Working with her has been extremely helpful and productive. She has helped me understand and cope with my diagnosis. I have greatly appreciated her commitment to helping me not only determine the correct medication, but also those lifestyle changes that I need to make to improve my overall mental health - with the goal of me being able to manage my disorder without meds. She is warm and delightful and I always enjoy our visits!