Susana De León, MD
Child, Adolescent & Adult Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist
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Dr. De León graduated from the University of Panama College of Medicine in 1992. She trained in general psychiatry at Baylor College of Medicine (1996-2000), and did her sub-specialty in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences of Baylor College of Medicine (2000-2002) in Houston, USA. During that period, she was elected Chief Resident, and also completed the course on psychoanalytic psychotherapy at the Houston-Galveston Psychoanalytic Institute (1998-2000).
She returned to Panama and opened her private practice in 2002. In light of the needs she saw on her return, especially in children and adolescents with neurodiversity and mental health needs, she formed a solid team of professionals willing to work in an integrated fashion in order to help them better. The Bridge Center opened its doors in March of 2008. Since then, she has offered her services from the center, working hand in hand with a team of highly trained and experienced professionals of exceptional human quality and dedication. She is a member of the Panamanian Society of Psychiatry, the Panamanian Association of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American Psychiatry Association, and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She is certified by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (2012) and is licensed in the State of Texas and the Republic of Panama.
| Specialty | Child, Adolescent & Adult Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist |
| Work Days | Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday |
Dr. De León has extensive diagnostic and clinical experience. She is known as a specialist in the diagnosis and treatment of Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorders, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Mood Disorders (depression), Anxiety Disorders, Eating Disorders, and other behavioral problems in children, adolescents, and adults. She is a dedicated psychotherapist, and treats patients of all ages, using the techniques and theoretical frameworks better suited for the patient.
She has worked with children, adolescents, and adults of different nationalities. She supports schools, foundations, and organizations interested in childhood, in topics related to mental and emotional health. She has been a speaker at local and international conferences on psychiatry and pediatrics. She has extensive experience in public outreach on mental health issues, and has been a columnist in different newspapers and magazines.
She participated in TEDxPanama (http://youtu.be/_GvWJQRwHag), and has appeared on television programs, such as “Minihéroes de Panamá,” and in regular segments on child psychology on Channel 2 TVN (2018-2019), as well as on various radio, television, and social media interviews.
Her patients call her Dr. Susana, or simply Susana, and fondly share with her their accomplishments, even years after treatment. She will start the process with a detailed evaluation of your history, in all its medical, biological, and neurological aspects, complemented with additional evaluations from psychologists and other specialists, in order to find clarity. She will ask many questions about your thoughts, feelings, and your life in general, in order to know you better and be able to arrive at a diagnostic statement that is not a label, but a guide that allows a personalized and effective treatment.
Once the process has started, which can be initially more intensive, an informed and consensual treatment plan will be adopted, and in which the right tools will be used in the benefit of the patient. She believes that “the first years last forever,” but that a preventive early intervention or timely treatment can make all the difference, and that well-being can be attained at any age.
She is married, and is the mother of two young adults.
She can be reached by phone at The Bridge Center Panamá or through her Twitter account @susanadeleonmd or @tbc_panama. You can follow her on Twitter at @SusanaDeLeonMD.