Meet Sussex County’s Top Psychiatrist

One year ago, today (September 12, 2019) leaders, professionals, and community members of Sussex County gathered for a welcome reception to our newest psychiatrist and neighbor. Dr. Feinberg sat down with JFS CEO, Basha Silverman to present and answer questions about his background, collaboration opportunities, and why he chose to settle in and serve Lewes Delaware:

BASHA: Dr. Feinberg, all of us are dying to know…why Delaware? Why Lewes? Why did you and Amy decide to move to Delaware and what do you think you could bring to our community?

ANDY: Amy and I began thinking about moving to Delaware about five years ago. We had been vacationing here for over 30 years and, initially, we weren’t aware of the acute shortage of psychiatrists in Delaware and in Sussex County in particular; along with the rapidly growing aging population in this area, we began thinking more about the potential demand for my skills and experience.  My training at Johns Hopkins emphasized geriatric psychiatry and my mentors there, including Paul McHugh, Peter Rabins and Marshall Folstein are giants in this field. And then we met you, Basha, at a JFS event. We had conversations there and subsequently, about the idea of helping JFS with their mission to meet the mental health needs of the aging population in lower Delaware and, no, here we are!

BASHA: You mentioned the aging population and you have tremendous experience in this area. Can you tell us about what makes treating this population unique/or challenging? In your experience, what wisdom have you gained?

ANDY: Throughout my years in clinical practice, I have found that caring for psychiatric problems of the elderly is challenging AND rewarding. The challenges include the confluence of somatic and mental conditions; older patients typically have several medical conditions in addition to their psychiatric problems. Many medical conditions present with psychiatric symptoms: depression is common with multiple sclerosis and after strokes in certain parts of the brain; psychiatric conditions, like depression, can interfere with the optimal treatment of diabetic patients. Older patients are likely taking several medications for their various conditions and I’ve learned how important it is to check for potential medication interactions, which can be particularly toxic in the elderly. Older patients are also more sensitive to medication side effects – older livers and kidneys have a harder time metabolizing and excreting medications. The adage “start low and go slow” applies. I am reminded of an older woman I treated many years ago: without my knowledge, her urologist treated her urinary incontinence with an old anti-depressant that caused orthostatic hypotension (a common side effect in the elderly, in which blood pressure drops significantly when they stand up). She fell, broke a hip and died on the operating table. Treating the elderly can be complicated and require extra care, compassion, and expertise…which I plan to bring with my practice at JFS.

BASHA: Please tell us how professional community partners and leaders might collaborate with you? Specifically, when would a doctor a call you? What role do you want to play in helping your allied professionals care for Sussex residents?

ANDY: I look forward to collaborating with clinicians in the community and with therapists at JFS. Older patients in this area are often geographically separated from family, and the comprehensive support JFS provides to address that isolation can be invaluable. I have enjoyed my relationships with colleagues through my years in practice; I value accessibility, good communication, and a team approach and look forward to building those relationships in the Sussex community and throughout Delaware.

Please join JFS in congratulating Dr. Feinberg on an incredible first year in service to Delaware residents!

Schedule an appointment today:
(302) 827-6040
intake@jfsdelaware.org