Dr. Gilbert Al Masterson, MD

Dr Masterson is a Mental Health Savior

This man deserves to be castrated.

I have received services from Dr. Masterson three times at Akron General Hospital in Akron Ohio. He is an excellent physician. He takes time with his patients and is very dedicated. He followed up getting medication for me that a previous doctor prescribed but that I could not get. He also arranged for a follow up physician once I left the hospital. My only regret is that he is not my regular doctor. He truly cares for his patients. He literally saved my life and my sanity. I have not felt this good or been this stable in years. Thank you, Dr. Masterson.

I've been somewhat of a frequent flier in the mental healthcare system for 16 years, and Dr. Masterson is hands-down the best psychiatrist I've ever had (for context's sake, he's been my inpatient doctor for just over 100 days total over multiple admissions in the past year and a half). And I've had quite the gamut of experiences working with psychiatrists, both inpatient and outpatient; there have been good, bad, and traumatic. To be honest, I'm truly baffled by all the negative reviews here; if his picture weren't on this page, then I'd seriously think they were talking about a different Dr. Masterson. I don't know if maybe he'd had a major personality change before I started seeing him a year and a half ago? The Dr. Masterson I know and have been treated by is genuinely compassionate, incredibly patient and understanding, and took the time to learn about my case in depth – even to the point where he can describe and explain some of the experiences I go through more accurately than even I can! He's held onto hope for me when I felt hopeless and helpless, when I'd been through such a large laundry list of medications/treatments that I could no longer hope for any new treatments to work. He even went out of his way to get creative in advocating for me when we had trouble getting me into one particular treatment. I also really appreciate his dedication to keeping up with research, to making treatment decisions that are as scientifically sound as possible. When he didn't know the answer to a question, he'd dig thoroughly to find it, often referencing the actual research (studies, meta-analyses, etc) in his response. And the first time I had him, he put me on a medication combination that was very strategically chosen (and not just some cookie-cutter med as a pharmaceutical shill). I loved the fact that he took the time to explain to me why he chose each medication; he shared how they all interacted/synergized with each other, in some cases drawing on paper the chemical interactions themselves on a molecular level. This man knows his stuff. Another thing that blows my mind is how much time he spends with his patients. From my experiences when in a short-term inpatient psych unit, even though you see your psychiatrist daily, the vast majority of those visits are 5-10 minutes (or less). Dr. Masterson has his own fair share of quick visits, but I honestly can't count the number of times our visits lasted between 30 minutes and 2 hours. No joke. And yeah, I've been his patient a lot (so you may be thinking I'm getting preferential treatment or something?), but all of the above describes my interactions with him even in the first week he was my doctor. Also, nearly all the feedback I've heard about him from other patients (and the nurses/techs/rest of the psych floor staff) provides the general sense that he is kind to pretty much everyone, excellent at his job, and is a real asset for the unit. It's definitely disconcerting to read about all the very negative/painful experiences in some of these other reviews. I don't question them; I 100% believe they're accurate and people have been legitimately hurt...and at the same time, I can't picture Dr. Masterson behaving in those ways. My hope is that perhaps there really was some pivot in him at some point, and my experiences are closer to what can now be expected from him.

Listens well and seeks long term solutions

excellent communicator, provides careful evaluation and dispenses medications with carefully analysis.

This Doctor was the first Doctor in 10 to 15 years to actually care about her on a individual and personal level and take the time, care, and patience toget her into a group home right from the hospital. Theres a lot of things he did to make my mothers and my life easier. I couldnt thank him enough.

The most condescending, arrogant, rude, medical professional I have ever worked with. I am shocked that he is allowed to treat people so poorly. He routinely raises his voice at his patients and completely disregards anything that they say. His treatment of his patients is disgusting. He should not be permitted to practice medicine.

He was the most caring positive and capable doctor that I have ever had. He treated me for Adult ADD and I am going strong

The most horrible psychiatrist anyone could possibly imagine. He shouted at me, belittled me, and forced me to take antipsychotics which had terrible side effects even though I was not psychotic. This man is a monster. Please never go to Forest View. Like many of the previous reviewers, I am permanently scarred from the experience.

I'll just save everyone valuable time of their life. I would have rather been shot than to be treated in such a disrespectful manner. Absolutely horrible. He left scars on my life I can never forget. I would rather die than recommend this "doctor". The logic to treat people that are suicidal in such a poor manner is so wrong. I thought a doctor was someone that was supposed to help people; not to treat them to even worse conditions. I understand that people can hate their job, but there are limits. I can't even understand what would go through someone's mind to do things in this matter. Disgrace.

He is the worst psychiatric Dr I have ever met. Rude and uncaring, no respect for patients family.

Dr. Masterson should have his medical license taken away! He has been disciplined in two states by their medical boards and gets income from Eli Lilly, the drug company. He is the definition of a Quackologist - wild guessing at conditions, falsifying records - everything he does is based on his opinion and emotions rather than on science and medical facts. He told me that my daughter was having manic issues due to smoking pot which is why she needed some drug - not because the active ingredient in her other medications was amphetamine Her drug test came back negative for pot and he became agitated and angry - BECAUSE HE WAS WRONG! If you love your children, avoid Dr. Masterson like the plague.

This doctor has anger issues and should not be around children or adolescents or anyone depressed for that matter. His staff won't stand up for his patients either. He speaks out of both sides of his face.

Dr. Masterson absolutely loves prescribing Wellbutrin for some reason. I was admitted to Forest View because of an eating disorder and Dr. Masterson prescribed Wellbutrin for me, despite the fact that Wellbutrin is contraindicated in those with eating disorders due to the seizure risk. When I brought this up to him, he ignored my concerns, and I was forced to take the Wellbutrin. Shortly after being discharged, I ended up having a seizure and ended up in the ICU on a ventilator. I had never had a seizure and haven't had one since. The ICU doctors told me it was due to the Wellbutrin. I might be willing to forgive this, except that he treated me poorly in other ways as well. Dr. Masterson was demeaning and destroyed the only bit of self esteem I had left. Fortunately, I later found a competent psychiatrist who treats me with respect.

My time at Forest View was a terrible and humiliating experience thanks to Dr. Masterson. He yelled at me and made me cry, put me on a dangerous antipsychotic that I did not need, and talked down to me. I've never felt so ashamed and humiliated in my entire life. This was my first and only bad experience with a psychiatrist. When I got out of the hospital I received 10 bills for $75 each for the five minutes each day that he spent belittling me.

He misdiagnosed me as bipolar mixed, which was promptly overturned by my follow up care provider. His misdiagnosis led to a prescription by one of his colleagues of Depakote which is known to cause liver failure. My liver was not able to process this dangerous medicine as demonstrated by my follow up care provider.