Joshua Israel, MD

Dr. Israel is the only doctor I would recommend in the field of psychiatry. He is eminently qualified and has a manner that serves better than condescending hand holding. Expecting a patient to show up on time, pay their bill as agreed and to be a partner in their own health care is respectful and esteeming. Psychiatry is medical treatment, not talk therapy. Dr. Israel has excellent intuition and an abundance of common sense. That said, I experienced Dr. Israel as empathic, kind and genuinely interested in my health. I want a psychiatrist with the same chops as the best cardiac or brain surgeon. If he’s taking any new patients, do not hesitate to call. And if you don’t get a call back, maybe you should try calling again if you’re serious about your health.

Did not return my call. I called his office and my call went to his voice mail. I left a message with my name and phone number. No one called me back.

Dr. Joshua Israel is the best psychiatrist in the city :) He’s very knowledgeable about adult ADHD and is always willing to help his patients. Highly recommend him!

Thought I’d take a couple days to reflect on my time with Dr Israel and all I can say is that he rocks!
I called Dr. Israel at the end of December to make an appointment to refill an old prescription and left a message. He responded to me within 24 hours, set me up with an appointment time, and sent multiple email reminders so I wouldn’t forget about the appointment… which most likely would have happened ha.
Having never been to the «Presidio Heights» before, I was surprised at how charming the local area was. Lots of shops, eateries, and even a small little movie theater. I took in the sights real quick, then made my way to the appointment.
Dr. Israel’s office is located in a smaller building with a few other doctors — so you flip this switch which lets him know when you arrived (I was worried about this for awhile because I honestly thought I’d miss it).
Anyways, went into the appointment and immediately got to talking. He is extremely thorough — asked me a ton of questions, but made me feel 100% at ease. He’s definitely at the forefront of adult ADHD research, as he was able to list off quite a few interesting studies which definitely hit close to home. It was great!
All in all, this was a fantastic appointment with a new doctor who was able to help address my issues with ADHD. Absolutely recommend him for those who are looking to address any adult ADHD issues.
A few things to keep in mind for those who are notorious for missing appointments — he does have a 48 hour cancellation policy, which he let me know he is extremely strict about. Also, he is not covered by insurance, but can provide an itemized receipt if you want to make a claim to be partially reimbursed by insurance.
Cheers.

Life with ADHD sucks! I didn’t appreciate Dr. Israel’s professionalism and patience until I decided to find another doctor to no avail. He will listen to you, understand you, MONITOR you so if you are looking to abuse your medication then this guy is definitely not for you since he actually cares for your health and well-​being.

I’ve seen Dr. Israel off and on over the years for a medication-​only relationship and found him generally competent and concerned.
Although I’m not looking for «hand-​holding» sort of therapists, I have occasionally found him on the unsympathetic and critical side and also rather opinionated about matters that he may not completely understand.
He’s certainly a good guy to see if you are generally secure in your understanding of your situation and need someone to see on occasion for drug adjustment, but I would be careful of using him as a talk therapist to sort things out.

I recently became the Neuroscience Editor for ADDA E-​News and I would recommend Dr. Israel without reservation. When seeking a doctor who specializes in ADD-​ADHD its best to seek it from an expert. Not all psychiatrists are the same when it comes to this kind of neurological disorder and Dr. Israel focuses on it. He is also teaches at UCSF Medical School which, in my opinion, means that he is a scientist in his approach. There are alot of «quacks“out there promising a cure for ADD-​ADHD with nutrition and other non-​prescription methods and speaking with Dr. Israel is a great reality check. He gives his professional opinion in a sound fair manner. Dr. Israel also is connected to the ADD-​ADHD treatment community so if you are looking for a therapist trained to deal with ADD-​ADHD clients of coaches that can help with time management, Dr. Israel is your source.

I saw Dr. Israel when I lived in SF a little while back, nice guy, great medication doctor, we’d chat about my life, he’d tune up the meds. My medical doctor (who I also recommend by the way: Arnold Lee at One Medical Group — the best!) recommended him. I won’t go into it all here, but it was a good move, helped me make a lot of good changes.
He’s definitely a stickler about time, so I can see why one of the other posters here didn’t hit it off with him if she was cavalier about being on time: I had to learn pretty quickly that if your’e late, you get a short appointment and that’s that. I still couldn’t always make it on time, (that’s part of why I was seeing him in the first place!), but overall he’s very careful and calm and seemed understanding of my deal, and I was glad that at least one of us was attentive to details.

Dr. Israel’s been a good doc for me, no complaints

Life with ADHD is a scattershot existence. New questions are continually torn from your environment to fly around your whirling mind like debris in a hurricane. Dr. Israel is the calm eye at the center of the storm.
I’ve had several doctors who have ADHD themselves, this is definitely not the case with Dr. I! I thought it was nice to feel understood by the fellow-​ADHDer docs, but that didn’t translate into effective care, especially given their own distractible tendencies. Dr. I is the opposite of all of that — utterly rational, consistent, and focussed. Not to say he’s not compassionate, he’s not unkind or condescending. If he seems a little cold and clinical at times, it’s just his way of objectively, sensibly assessing things. I’ve been in his care long enough to know he always has my best interests at heart. He’s also non-​judgemental and impossible to shock.
I truly appreciate his straight-​shooting style, sharp intelligence and thorough reliance on scientific evidence. There are a lot of quacks out there, but I completely trust and respect Dr. I.
A note about paying out of pocket for his services: It’s far less than some medications will cost you. But if you qualify, most drug companies have programs to provide meds to people who can’t afford them. You can find the applications on their websites, bring them in to Dr. I who then finishes the paperwork and sends them in. I know people who were able to experiment with various treatments this way.

Perhaps Dr. Israel and I got off to a bad start b/​c I was late (a big no no since he runs such a «tight ship»), but after waiting weeks for an appointment and forking $ 300 out of the ATM, I left Dr. Israel’s office both disappointed and discouraged. I have struggled with ADD since I was a child but I actually think I do pretty well for myself, all things considered. Within 30 minutes of meeting me, with zero knowledge of my professional accomplishments or limitations, Dr. Israel suggested I find another career path b/​c he’s «never seen anyone with ADHD succeed» in my position. OK then. Thanks for the vote of confidence. I won’t (but could) go on about other discouraging words this man had to offer me. Maybe he would loosen up and be nicer after a few visits, but I am not going to stick around to find out.

I agree with all the other reviewers, including Beth. He gives ½ hour sessions, $ 150 per month, no insurance. However I didn’t have Beth’s issues scheduling (and I rescheduled many times, often showed up late, etc). He’s always available via iphone. Given my ADHD, I don’t know how Beth could even know it was 22 minutes? I could talk to him all day «about my mother,» or ten minutes, and I probably wouldn’t know. Anyway I found him via google (& addforum) like Jamie. I have seen many psychiatrists, and Dr. Israel is a completely different class. He’s got the creds (UCSF, harvard, large hospitals), knows everything, but makes everything SIMPLE. No ego. No «multitude of alternatives» as Beth put it. When I asked about holistic coaching, etc he said «don’t waste your money.» Not in a jealous way – if he buried himself at the bottom of the ocean, he would not be less aggressive about his practice. He cites research if you challenge him, in a totally nonjudgmental way. He’s nice, even sweet… but be prepared for a bucket of cold water. You will not find incense candles in his office. No foot massages. What you will get is treatment that is proven to work from a world-​class ADHD specialist. I believe he also specializes in depression. Every psychiatrist has a wall full of diplomas, and many have a charismatic presence – Dr. Israel is the real thing, the state of the art. He’s an adult psychiatrist. If you have your shit together, go ahead and get a talk therapist or coach or whatever. If you really need help, and you can afford it, Dr. Israel is the absolute best there is. He will put you on the fast track to a healthy and rewarding life.