Brightside Health

If I could give negative stars, I would. My previous provider was no longer available and I decided to give Brightside a try - probably one of the biggest mistakes of my life. I scheduled my first appointment and the provider they assigned had no idea, I wasn't on her schedule, yet I got her zoom link to connect for my appointment. In hindsight, that should have been a red flag for me. I had already been taking venlafaxine for anxiety and doing well on it, but expressed to my provider wanting to better manage my OCD symptoms. She put me on fluvoxamine (without knowing any of my medical history or really anything about me at all). Let me be clear, I realize that these types of medications can be unpredictable and some people don't react well to certain medications, so I don't blame Brightside or my provider for my negative side effects, but the sheer irresponsibility of this orangization and their providers is astounding. I expressed multiple times via messaging that I was having severe side effects. My provider ghosted me for a few days before recommending I titrate off the medication. That's when everything got so much worse. My provider suggested I take one pill every other day for 10 days. I started experiencing more severe symptoms and symptoms of withdrawl. Again I messaged my provider who ghosted me for about a week this time. I couldn't find any sort of emergency contact to get in touch with my provider or anyone for that matter. I reached out to my PCP who couldn't help me because they didn't prescribed the medication. I went to the ER and they couldn't help me unless I was suicidal; however they ultimately gave me medication to counteract some of the negative side effects and a boat load of information on fluvoxamine - information that made me realize my provider 1. should have probably never put me on that medication with such ease given that it's not recommended with venlafaxine and 2. never should have weaned me off by dosing me every other day given that literally every medical source on the planet says not to do that because the drug has such an incredibly short half-life. Funny how science works? When I finally got an appointment with my provider she basically gaslighted me into saying, "its probably not withdrawal because you weren't on it for a long time," which tells me two things. 1. You have no idea what you're talking about and 2. You have no concern for your patients. I had asked this provider to submit the necessary FMLA paperwork given that I missed over a week of work due to severe side effects and I have yet to hear back from her. I was just notified my claim has been denied due to the lack of the aforementioned paperwork, so now my job is jeopardy due to my provider's negligence. If you're going to put someone on a medication that has the potential to mess them up in a bad way, then at least take the responsibility to help that person protect their job when you created a situation that made them incapable of performing it. I feel like it is my obligation to warn others to stay away from this organization. They literally exploit mental health for profit, they employ unqualified provider's who unfortunately are allowed to prescribe people medication, and they are 0 help when things go bad. If you're thinking of joining Brightside, do yourself a favor, and don't.

AWFUL. Providers lack empathy and compassion and have an extremely unprofessional demeanor. Not the place to go when you need real mental health help

rthey kied on thier adverstment sayi ng theyt prescribe benzodines BULL crappalo I don't need lexipro for work stress

This is about their false and misleading ads that say INSURANCE ACCEPTED with no qualifier. These is the truth straight from their customer service: Aetna Anthem of California Cigna | Evernorth Allegiance (A Cigna company) Optum Behavioral Health in Arizona, California, and Nevada only at this time.

If I could give zero stars I would. Brightside is holding my medication hostage (they are refusing to send it until I speak with a provider). I had been feeling down and decided to be honest during my check-ins. The doctor is asking to see me even though I don’t need my medication changed. The issue is that I was on the $45 medication management plan but they’re forcing me to pay an additional $50 for an appointment the doctor demanded before I can get my medication sent out. Two problems here that is incredibly damaging and manipulative: 1) clients can’t be honest now on the check-ins without risking their medication being held hostage. This ensures that Brightside can claim their clients are getting better using their service even if they’re lies and 2) they can glean $50 whenever they want because the doctor needs to “check in”. It’s a manipulative money grab at best and it’s disturbing that Brightside likes to play around with mental health like that just for more money. I will be taking my business elsewhere.

Very poor experience with provider , they asked me what I thought they should prescribe and kept repeating the same intake questions like they were reading from a form and this was their first day. The pharmacy wasn’t even able to fill the med because the providers ID wasn’t valid. The McDonald’s of mental health , would not recommend if you need help.

They are horrible. My provider would ask me what I think she should be prescribing me. Like wtaf. Not knowledgeable whatsoever and horrible customer service. Never again.

This is a terrible place to work. They terminated my contract to please their patient just because I am a minority counselor and pt was not a minority. This place is not good for minority providers. They have no knowledge on counseling and no understanding on asking open ended questions during the counseling. The operational team and the leadership should build their understanding and knowledge on automatic negative thoughts and limited thinking pattern especially the personalization so that when pt shows up with these issues and blaming the counselor for his own issues, the organization does not see & jugde their providers through the patient's eyes and mind. This is a pathetic place to work.

I turned to brightside when I really needed help. They got me on medication. In that time I’ve gone through hellish side effects (some permanent) gained and lost 50 pounds in scary amounts of time and have had worse episodes due to them failing to mail me my medication on time which resulted in me being off my meds, have an episode at work, and got fired. After getting fired I couldn’t pay my brightside bill or my rent so they cancelled my service and didn’t mention a single peep on how to safely ween off anything or what to do now. All they did was badger me for more money and when I begged and pleaded for any guidance while downright suicidal due to their negligence i was treated coldly and just told “**** you pay us”. It’s their business model to get you on drugs that develop intense dependencies and then they become your glorified drug dealer. They don’t give a **** about mental health or their patients. All they care about is money. Brightside you’re a predatory piece of garbage service and you should be ashamed of yourselves. I hope your business in mill valley falls into a fissure during an earthquake.

Doctor arrived for consultation and immediately reported that they would be unable to help after a few questions. Consultation was less than 10 minutes and they billed for a full intake appointment. When I filled out my intake forms, I listed EXACTLY why I was there. If the doctor had actually reviewed my forms prior to the appointment, they would have known good and well that they could not see me as a patient. The refund request page leads to errors, and their phone system reports that no support agents are available to assist and disconnects the call, making it impossible to request a refund by any way other than email. Edit 12/2023 - Brightside's reply to my review clearly demonstrates that they didn't actually read it. I received a refund for my copay, but they still fraudulently filed an claim with Cigna for services that were never rendered. If the provider had actually reviewed my intake documentation as they claim, then it wouldn't have been necessary to even begin the meeting. I've been in contact with Cigna's fraud team and an investigation has been opened and is ongoing. I wish I had read these reviews before I ever went near this company.

Signed up 2 days ago, paid the $300, made an appointment with my therapist - she cancels, and says to book for Friday (tomorrow). I'm only given the option to book for NEXT Tuesday or Thursday (5-7 days from now). Additionally, no response from her when I message. I have never felt more hopeless with mental health services in my life.

Same issues as the user below. With Brightside, I felt a promising rapport during my intake appointment and felt encouraged with the treatment options we discussed. Only to have Brightside come back three days later and say I should go to an onsite doctor instead. Just like the other user said - they were all-too eager to have an intake appointment and charge me (after I had provided the exact same information through their screening questionnaire). Brightside markets themselves as a niche provider that specializes in care for anxiety and depression. Yet, when I tried to receive specialized care for my anxiety, they vaguely suggested I go back to a general psych provider. But again, only after they had taken my money. Their marketing emphasis and their standard of care are disjointed. And honestly, it seems like that may be by design. I was thrilled to find a remote doctor, as I have social anxiety, so it was quite the bait-and-switch. Feel very let-down and deprioritized. So...money well spent!

Horrible experience, was trying to get my depression meds refilled. Went through a horrible interview with an unprofessional and very rude Dr. Who told me after paying for an appointment they would require me to see my primary Dr. They could have told me this to start but insisted that I needed an appointment with their Dr which is 90.00us only to be extremely rude to me and give me a lecture about my depression.