Downtown Psychiatry Chicago - Sudhakar Shenoy MD

I don’t usually write reviews, but I have to communicate this: I highly recommend Dr Shenoy! He is an amazing psychiatrist. I needed a psychiatrist because I have been struggling with an overactive internal landscape for my entire life, and it just got too much with too many factors in the life equation. I knew I needed help. Dr Shenoy is very responsive and communicative. When I reached out to him, he explained his approach to seeing patients, assuaged my hesitations about seeing a psychiatrist and navigating the insurance process. The online process for patient intake was easy to use, and it was very quick for me to set up an appointment with him. When we met in person for my appointment, I realize he is the same Dr Shenoy who is the conference organizer for the Chicago 2025 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP, and if you read about mental health in the US, you know this is a big deal!) and he is also on the board of trustees of the American Psychiatric Association. Super cool. During the appointment, he gave me a lot of space and time (and I mean a LOT of time) to open up and explain my experiences which are rather complex and multilayered. My worry with psychiatrists is that they wouldn’t understand women and girls with ADHD have distinct symptom presentations (internalization), and it may be affected by past trauma. This worry immediately disappeared as he addressed it when I spoke about my experiences without any specific references to any diagnoses (as I was not formally diagnosed). Dr Shenoy is also able to understand the complexity that comes with my multicultural and cross- boundary background. It’s so rare to find a psychiatrist in the US who prioritizes a patient-centered approach in tandem with his medical expertise AND has life wisdom so they can put things into perspective. As we went through the appointment, I can tell he receives a great deal of professional passion and satisfaction for helping his patients. When it came time to think about next steps, we didn’t immediately just jump into which medications I should use, and I was very grateful for this. He suggested eliminating certain stressors, mindset shifts and provided some perspectives, before discussing medication treatment options (as I’d asked for us to address it). The great thing about Dr Shenoy is that he could immediately tell that I am someone who needs to understand the science behind all the treatment options, and he took time to explain the categories of treatment options. It was helpful for my other concern (anxiety). Beyond being my doctor, Dr Shenoy is an intelligent and compassionate human, who really connected with me, and I can tell that he genuinely cares about my overall well-being. I honestly feel like I found a life coach, and I look forward to working with him! This is the right place to be if you need some help!

Dr. Shenoy has been such a phenomenal resource in learning how to manage my ADHD as an adult in a demanding professional setting, and being able to have virtual visits has made it possible to easily make appointments without missing work. In addition to the outstanding services he has provided me as an adult client, he is also clearly a knowledgeable and dedicated practitioner for pediatric clients (as a school psychologist myself, we have had many discussions about the fields of pediatric psychology and psychiatry). I whole-heartedly recommend Dr. Shenoy for anyone looking for a psychiatrist!