Dr. Fredysha Shymaka Mcdaniel, MD

Dr. Mcdaniel was my first ever psychiatrist. it’s been a few years but she was the worst psychiatrist i ever had. it really is a shame because i wanted a woman psychiatrist who i thought would be more sympathetic and understanding but she was the opposite. i was starting to open up to her about my feelings and started crying and she stared at me with a blank face and said “i’m not your therapist save that for your appointment.” and then told me to stop crying which made me cry more. she made me take many medications that did nothing but make me feel like a sedated zombie and i was worse during her care than before. these other reviews do not surprise me at all. she doesn’t care about her patients she’s there to prescribe meds and that’s it. i thought someone working in the mental health industry would be more caring but it left me with more issues. another appointment i had with her she mentioned she thought i had a certain diagnosis and then the next session i asked if that was what she was diagnosing me with and she said “i don’t know, do you?” it made me so frustrated because isn’t that the point of a psychiatrist? i personally wanted a diagnosis so it would help me figure out a treatment plan but she seemed to not want to give me that. she was always super condescending and rude every single appointment i had with her (maybe 3-4). this was maybe 4 years ago though

I wonder if maybe some of the other reviews are upset because they were looking for a therapist over a psychiatrist. She wasn't rude at all in my experience with her, just straightforward. She noticed things that my last psychiatrist didn't, and set me up with a plan that helped me more than anything I'd tried before with a combination of therapy groups and medication. She explained every step and why she was recommending it. I miss her since she is no longer with Kaiser and I hope she is doing well.

I wonder if maybe some of the other reviews are upset because they were looking for a therapist over a psychiatrist. She wasn't rude at all in my experience with her, just straightforward. She noticed things that my last psychiatrist didn't, and set me up with a plan that helped me more than anything I'd tried before with a combination of therapy groups and medication. She explained every step and why she was recommending it. I miss her since she is no longer with Kaiser and I hope she is doing well.

I was seeing Dr. Mcdaniel last year at Kaiser Permanente, and she was a fantastic fit for me. She took my concerns/questions seriously, listened to me, was never rude with me, answered my questions through KP messaging very quickly, and actually helped me realize I had been misdiagnosed and helped me to navigate that. She has left Kaiser since then but I will miss her!

I saw Dr. McDaniel as a psychiatrist at her position at Kaiser Santa Rosa. I went into our appointment feeling fair but I left feeling actively suicidal with a plan because of our interactions during the appointment. She did not listen to my questions or concerns about treatment and failed to mention other treatment options available and in common use in psychiatry at the time. She kept calling me ma'am despite multiple requests for her to not call me that and she became defensive and shifted blame when I pointed out that the way she was addressing me made me uncomfortable and that it was a reasonable healthy boundary/request that she refrained from calling me ma'am. She is a modern day Nurse Ratched but with a medical degree.

I would not recommend this doctor to any of my friends and family. I found her to be insensitive, unsympathetic and unprofessional. I went to her to discuss my depression, anxiety and medication adjustment. She wasn't interested in my situation and interrupted me several times while I was trying to inform her of my present situation. She raised my anxiety level 10X. I could not wait to get out of her office.