Dr. Boris Rubinstein, MD

I went to him upon the recommendation of my father who was his colleague and friend. My mother grew up with him in Mexic...o City and I've known this man my whole life. Who better? Or so I thought. He comes across as caring, supportive, empathetic and wise. Forget about it! There wasn't an honest, genuine, sincere thing that came out of this man's mouth. He lied to me about everything. When I asked him if it is alright to stay on Klonopin indefinitely ONLY because I'm physically addicted as I am no longer anxious, he says "3 mg/day isn't unreasonable" (I recorded that lie). Forget about suggesting I see an addiction specialist to help me get off it. Doesn't care, takes him 10 seconds to send in on his iPad. Prior to that my internist told me I had to get off Klonopin as my short-term memory issues might be related to years of abusing that anti-anxiety drug. Dr. Rubinstein put me on that drug years ago (prescribing up to 6 mg/day to me for years!) never telling me it is extremely physically addictive and prolonged use has a slew of serious ramifications. I asked him why he never had opinions and he says "that's not my job". If I had gone to him for a 2nd opinion it would have been "what he say". This man concealed his contempt towards me with what appeared to be sincerity. I got plenty of meaningless affirmations, baseless and dangerous reassurances, lies about the very real dangers of physically addictive benzodiazepines, and tons of fake empathy. When I confronted him I saw the real doctor. Ugly! Cursed at me in front of my father - "What the is this? Original sin?!" - with seething hatred in his eyes after he called me saying "I failed you, I apologize" (realizing he could no longer fool me) followed by a suggestion I bring my father in for what I expected to be an apology to him and a retraction of his prior assurance of the 'safety' of Klonopin with "you need to get off Klonopin". Then I demanded my medical records and got cherry-picked notes with a letter stating that "other records were lost in the move to the new office". No doubt.

So why did the good doctor have even greater contempt towards me than he would have otherwise? He never charged me on account of his friendship with my father. Sounds like a good deal until I realized he resented every minute of the free time (I never asked for) he was giving me. As it turns out, the American Psychiatric Association's Journal of Ethics states "it is unethical to extend professional courtesy as it leads to poor psychiatric care due to the lack of give and take". He demonstrated that resentment in many ways including passive-aggressive behavior by consistently making me call his office 3 times for refills of Klonopin as I watch in terror my supply of that addictive stuff go down. I am pursuing an ethics charge against him (stay tuned). Then, after years of phony empathy, he tells me that "while psychiatrists offer words of wisdom they don't do therapy, only pharmacology". Really? What was all the talking about? Do other psychiatrists who spend 45 minutes per session agree with that job description? So I should have gone to an actual therapist all along which is why I never felt better talking to him? Never could I have imagined this man's genial exterior is a cover for what lies beneath - a 'nice' man who is actually the darkest of men. His 'amiable' personality fooled me for too long. It was talk therapy I wrote off as irrelevant but stayed with him on account of my addiction to Klonopin. My family and I paid an enormous price. I've spent nights crying awake just thinking how everything would have been so different if I had gone to anyone else. If only the first time I heard him say "that must be so hard" I had known he was enjoying my pain. Figuratively speaking, extended his right hand to my father years ago and stuck the left one behind his back with his middle finger up. Recently Dr. Rubinstein hired a lawyer to send me a letter that criminal charges would be made against me if I did not stop "defaming" him as though the fate of Jamal Khashoggi criticizing the Saudi prince is what awaits me. He even terrified my elderly parents by telling them he had hired a lawyer to go after their son. This man has no bottom. more details