Dr. Jonathan W. Bolton, MD — Psychiatrist in Albuquerque, NM

I had an extremely negative experience with Dr. Jonathan Wilson Bolton, and I would not see him again. This review is based on my own experience, my recollection of the clinical interactions, my review of the records available to me, and a later second opinion I sought from an experienced forensic psychiatrist. I encourage anyone reading this not to rely on my review alone. Read other publicly available reviews, check prior practice locations, request records when appropriate, and seek a second opinion if something feels inaccurate. My concerns were serious. In my opinion, the diagnostic process was poor. I believe important context was missed or minimized, and I believe the resulting impressions did not accurately reflect my condition or history. I also believed that some of the documentation emphasized selected phrases while omitting context that mattered. From my perspective, this created an exaggerated and unfair picture of me as a patient. I also found some questioning about sexuality invasive and unprofessional. My concern is not simply that sensitive questions were asked. Rather, my concern is how those questions were handled, documented, and, in my view, later communicated with other practitioners. I felt exposed, mischaracterized, and not treated with the discretion and seriousness I expected in a medical setting. I was also troubled by what I viewed as gaps in knowledge about symptoms, medications, and treatment issues that were central to my case. I do not expect every doctor to know everything, but I do expect a specialist to recognize common symptoms, medication-related issues, and relevant treatment questions before making strong conclusions about a patient. In my case, I did not believe that happened. In fact, I am not sure he even understood both some common symptoms and substances, judging by the later notes I saw. The most disturbing part of the experience involved my attempt to discuss a serious past medical event in which I had nearly died at a young age because of health complications and bad medicine. When I began opening up about that history, my recollection is that Dr. Bolton refused to hear more and shut down the discussion. I experienced that as dismissive and deeply inappropriate, especially because that history was relevant to my fear, trust, and later medical care. Afterward, I hired a highly experienced forensic psychiatrist for a second opinion. Based on that consultation and my later care, I became even more convinced that my experience with Dr. Bolton was not just a personality mismatch. I believed there were serious problems with the clinical interpretation, the documentation, and the way my concerns were handled. This doctor, who has thirty years more experience than Bolton, stated that himself. To be clear, Dr. Bolton may be intelligent, articulate, and academically accomplished. My criticism is about my experience as a patient. In that role, I felt unheard, mischaracterized, condescended to, and poorly served. I did not feel that my welfare was adequately prioritized. My opinion is that patients should be cautious. If you work with him or any clinician and feel that your words are being selectively documented, your history is being distorted, or your concerns are being dismissed, request your records, write down what happened, and seek an independent second opinion. Based on my experience, I would not recommend Dr. Jonathan Wilson Bolton. Of course, these are only my opinions. Please, everyone search yourself, come to your own opinions. Most importantly, realize that someone handsome, intelligent, and optimistic is not necessarily the best doctor for you.

I've found Dr. Bolton to be helpful in my medication management and he has been able to answer questions that I have without hesitation and drawing on the knowledge base you'd expect of someone in his profession. That's what's important to me, and our relationship has been professional and courteous.

Unfortunately, I agree with other reviewers. Dr. Bolton is well-educated, intelligent, dressed sharply, and well-spoken. It is easy to trust a person like this, who genuinely seems to care. Yet, when the pressure is really on, he does not always act in the client's best interest. His clinical experience is lacking and he will set up the situation in a way that always has him avoid any liability for the mistakes he has made. On one hand, nobody is perfect. We all are trying to figure out our answers in life, etc. Yet, for a psychiatrist, there must have very stringent standards and high levels of responsibility, even when things go wrong. Although a compassionate man would sympathize with the other, I must unequivocally state that Dr. Jonahtan Bolton is not your man in a time of crisis.