Of Dr. Pervaiz Akhter. Who I had to tolerate for over 5 months during my time as an ASH patient. Who did, at numerous points in time, engage in the same grossly inept, outright suspect misbehavior that now underlies what some are calling the ugliest public mental health facility scandal in the new millennium.  

The before and after photos....

"He even looks spooky...."

Pervaiz Akhter
ASH psychiatrist 1999-2014
Current CEO Transitions Center, PLLC
Tempe, AZ 

DR. Pervaiz "Are you really not a felon?" Akter  is hands down the most coldly, ill mannered medical doctor I have ever encountered. This would include my entire life history, whether in a psychiatric hospital setting or not; and that background includes the period 1982-89, when I worked as a licensed paramedic, part of that time as a professional ski patroller, and much of the time in the emergency room at University Of New Mexico/Bernalillo County Hospital. Not to mention those points in time when, as a member of modern society, I did at one or another moment in time seek medical care in non-psychiatiric settings. And while I am at it, I might add as well that beyond my interest in studying health care ethics as an undergraduate at UNM, I was also married for a number of years to a practicing nurse, which only bolsters my awareness of what it takes to be a  qualified medical health provider in any context. And with that in mind- in any context- I attest that this native of Pakistan most definitely chilled my very soul at numerous points of my time under his questionable "care", in a manner that only exasperated my anxiety disorder as it stems from my childhood history as an abused person. Likewise, as I have previously described, upon our first 1:1 meeting, he introduced himself (in part) by asking me "Are you really not a felon?", which immediately flagged the fact that Akhter shares the same tone of discriminative nature that the ugliest features of society has plagued the mental health community for ages. I had to deal with this Rat Bastard as my primary attending psychiatrist for over five (5) months of time, and  it was, shall I say, horrible- one of the most negative period of times in my entire life. Including during that period of time when I was being abused as a kid. It was that bad. It is that bad.

This is how the man appeared years ago, an image representing his arguably evil nature that is distinctively consistent with my memory of his appearance when I was under his "care"; an image that reflects and in fact personifies the core of his freakishly spooky demeanor, but only one element of his overall threatening countenance that most certainly came out in his associated behavioral characteristics. I could try to detail the various interactions I was forced to go through as one his unfortunate patients, but suffice it to say- rather- that if you think about the most condescending and/or psychologically abusive schoolyard bullies that one may have ever had to face, then you might have an idea of what I sensed about Pervaiz Akhter as soon as I met the Bastard. It was that bad, then; and as time passed, as his patient, it only got worse; leading me at one point to consider action upon suicidal ideation that arose in my mind directly due to the way he treated me, and those I saw him interact with around me.

Thank the stars for my ASH therapist at the time (K), who had the wherewithal to help me survive the very real trauma that this man created; again, 100% due to Akhter's overwhelming, and unavoidable mannerisms. Unavoidable- as a patient, that is- due to the grossly disproportional level of power that all ASH psychiatrists have over the lives of their patient-consumers.

With this in mind, need I remind you that this man is a doctor; and a psychiatric doctor at that, psychiatry being a medical profession that hinges entirely upon trust based relationships between the physician and his/her patient. For without such trust, the line of communication upon which optimum psychiatric care relies is literally impossible. Therein, my stern belief that this man simply must have heightened the inner turmoil of God knows how many patients during his fifteen (15) year tenure at ASH. And at what point  in such a situation, wherein persons such as Pervaiz "Are you really not felon?" Akhter are granted a free pass to engage in whatever level of inhumane medical "care" they choose to, with no fear whatsoever of oversight or related retribution, does the Hippocratic Oath come in? This is precisely what the patient to doctor relationship(s) are like at ASH. Entirely inconsistent with what any person not affected by mental disability expects from such practitioners, and yet 100% consistent with- as I have tried to emphasize more then once- the standard practices in Arizona's sole long term public mental health facility. I attest to this, for I lived with it day in and day out for 13 months.

The man as he appears today, in his current position as CEO of Transitions Center, PLLC (Tempe, AZ), which purports, as per its mission statement: "To help people transition from pain and suffering of addiction and mental illness." He took this position after hastily departing ASH once that facility was on the verge of being exposed as one of the horrifically mismanaged public hospitals in the western hemisphere. Skating away to the best of his foreign capability in order to not be identified as one of those involved in the scandal specific to ASH, as it stands. Go figure.

But, photogenics- or lack thereof- aside, the bottom line reality of this quack has to do with his literal lack of warmth, as in unfriendliness. 

He simply isn't... nice. At all. Ever. Never smiles, unless under.... duress.... (ASH patient E.S. shortly after I became one of Akhter's patients, in response to my statements about how negative a person he appeared to be at that time.)

That's right, you bottom feeding miscreant. I am no more going too allow you continue worsening the health of persons seeking your "care" (sic), then I am any one of the other individuals I identified as being directly involved in the grossly substandard care practices at ASH.

Don't like the attention, numnuttz? Should have thought of that before you relocated to the United States of America.

               So just leave, why don't you?

IN CLOSING: Indeed, upon describing some of my experiences as an ASH patient to a good friend in Santa Fe, NM (2013), his precise reaction to Pervaiz' photo was "He even looks spooky." Just one more detail lending itself to what the process of surviving ASH is like.

paoloreed@gmail.com