Dr. Patrick Bordeaux

Before promoting his best generals, Napoleon always asked them if in life they were generally lucky!

I was in my mid 30s when I decided to change my life. I had been living in New York City for over 15 years running my own marketing company. I decided to go back to college, then to medical school and finally do my residency in psychiatry. I completed my premed requirements at Fordham University in New York, at the same time I did some research work with my professors in Rockefeller University. Then I did a clinical elective at the Child Psychiatry Branch at The National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland and completed my M.D. and my residency in psychiatry at Université Laval in Quebec.

I worked a lot and when facing hard times and obstacles, I never gave up. It is also clear to me that I would have never succeeded if I had not been lucky to meet many people that supported, guided and encouraged me along the way.  I am especially grateful to my dear friend Dr Joan Roberts from Fordham University, she always believed in me and kept me motivated especially when discouraged and tempted to quit during the tough times in medical school.

There is no doubt that these years dedicated to change my life shaped my way of thinking and lead me to choose a specialty where my own experience could be a useful tool to understand and help my patients.

Escaping the cycle addiction requires, motivation, hard work and stamina.  I also wish to all of you that for one reason or another have entered the cycle of addiction to be lucky enough to find the right people that will provide all the help, support and encouragement needed to escape this vicious cycle and not enter it again.

As far I am concerned, I will try to be true to the things that have been important in my life and use them to help others.

“The mind is like a parachute, it works so much better when it is open!”

Along the way, life can be very harsh and take any of us to incredibly dark and painful places. I became interested in addiction psychiatry because I strongly believe in the concept of giving people opportunities to change the course of their lives.

Multiple factors can lead a person to enter the cycle of addiction, (biological, psychological, social..)

My mission, as a psychiatrist, is to use ALL AVAILABLE AND APPROPRIATE “WEAPONS” WITHOUT PRECONCEIVED IDEAS, to help my patients escape the cycle of addiction. (Psychotherapies, medication, social support groups…) After the initial treatment, it is also essential to keep giving them the tools to avoid entering this vicious cycle again.

Patrick Bordeaux, M.D.

Psychiatrist