Dr. Bernard S. Sobel

Bernard S. Sobel, DD, FAPA, FACN Director of Psychiatry at Valley Forge Medical Center and Hospital

Bernard S. Sobel, DO, Director of Psychiatry - Valley Forge Medical Center & Hospital

Bernard Sobel, a Norristown addictions psychiatrist, said he prescribed buprenorphine "extremely sparingly."

"I have a concern about abuse and overuse," he said.

He said many addicts needed extensive treatment for their social problems and he worried that they would think buprenorphine was enough."It's so effective, that's what concerns me," he said."It's almost too good."

The caps are not the only reason doctors are difficult to find.Calls to approved doctors in this region revealed that many, like Sobel, are purposely treating fewer than 30 patients.

BERNARD S. SOBEL, D.O., F.A.C.N., F.A.P.A. (PCOM '68),presented a lecture on "Buprenorphine - Concepts, Use and Limitations," at Columbia University Faculty House on May 13, 2004.Buprenorphine is a newly approved treatment option for opioid dependents.Board certified in psychiatry, with certificates of added qualification in addiction psychiatry/addiction medicine, Dr. Sobel completed an internship at Metropolitan Hospital in Philadelphia, and a residency at Embreeville (Pa.) State Hospital.He is director of psychiatry at Valley Forge (Pa.) Medical Center Hospital and a clinical instructor in psychiatry at Drexel University School of Medicine in Philadelphia.He is a fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Neurologists and Psychiatrists, and a distinguished fellow of the American Psychiatry Association.