Franklin R. Schneier, MD

Psychiatry
More specialties
Profile Headshot

Overview

Dr. Franklin Schneier is a Special Lecturer at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and Research Psychiatrist in the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at New York State Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Schneier is a graduate of Yale College and Cornell University Medical College, and he completed his residency in psychiatry at Mt. Sinai Medical Center. He came to the Anxiety Disorders Clinic in 1987 as a National Institute of Mental Health research fellow, later serving as associate director of the clinic and currently as a research psychiatrist and co-director. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Anxiety Disorders Association of America.

Dr. Schneier's research has focused on the diagnosis, treatment, and pathophysiology of social anxiety disorder, other anxiety disorders, and depression. He has been the recipient of Federal funding to conduct clinical trials establishing the efficacy of medications and combined medication-cognitive-behavioral treatments for social anxiety disorder and PTSD. He is also trained in cognitive-behavioral therapy. Dr. Schneier has also been funded by NIMH to use PET and fMRI imaging techniques to study social anxiety disorder and depression. He is author of more than 150 scholarly publications and a book for general audiences, The Hidden Face of Shyness.

Dr. Schneier also maintains a private practice in general psychiatry, including diagnostic assessment and consultations, psychopharmacology and cognitive-behavioral therapy. He combines a focus on evidence-based treatment with recognition of the need for a creative and individualized approach to the unique aspects of each person.

Areas of Expertise / Conditions Treated

  • Adult ADHD
  • Anxiety and Depression
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Bipolar Disorder
  • Body Dysmorphic Disorder
  • Depression
  • Depressive Disorder
  • Dysthymia
  • Generalized Anxiety Disorder
  • General Psychiatry
  • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
  • Panic Attacks
  • Panic Disorder
  • Phobias
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
  • Psychiatric Aspects of Physical Illness
  • Psychiatric Consultation and Evaluation
  • PsychiatryTrauma
  • Psychodynamic Psychotherapy
  • Psychopharmacology and Psychotherapy
  • Separation/Divorce Issues
  • Separation Anxiety
  • Social Anxiety Disorder
  • Social Phobia
  • Stress Management

Academic Appointments

  • Special Lecturer

Administrative Titles

  • Co-Director, Anxiety Disorders Clinic

Hospital Affiliations

  • NewYork-Presbyterian / Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Gender

  • Male

Schedule an Appointment

Phone Appointments

New and Existing Patients:

Connect Patient Portal

For existing patients, login to make an appointment, view documentation or contact your care provider.

Connect Sign In

Credentials & Experience

Education & Training

  • Cornell University Medical Center, NY
  • Residency: Mount Sinai Medical Center

Board Certifications

  • Psychiatry

Research

My research interests include the integration of pharmacological and cognitive-behavioral approaches to treatment of social anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder, and the application of PET and fMRI to understanding brain function in these conditions.

My current research includes a randomized clinical trial of a novel computer based training for social anxiety, a PET neuroimaging study of motivation in depression, and a study of the function of neural circuits that mediate fear learning, prepulse inhibition, attention to threat, and capacity to delay reward across several conditions: social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and anorexia nervosa.

Research Interests

  • Anxiety Disorders

Selected Publications

  • Schneier FR, Slifstein M, Whitton AE, Pizzagalli DA, Reinen J, McGrath PJ, Iosifescu DV, Abi-Dargham A: Dopamine release in antidepressant-naïve major depressive disorder: a multimodal [11C]-(+)-PHNO positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging study. Biological Psychiatry.2018;84:563-573.
  • Schneier FR, Moskow DM, Hwei-Choo T, Galfalvy H, Campeas R, Sanchez-Lacay A. A randomized controlled pilot trial of vilazodone for adult separation anxiety disorder. Depression and Anxiety. 2017;34:1085-1095.
  • Schneier FR: Clinical Practice: Social anxiety disorder. New England Journal of Medicine 2006;355: 1029-1036
  • Schneier FR, Pomplun M, Sy M, Hirsch J. : Neural response to eye contact and paroxetine treatment in generalized social anxiety disorder. Psychiatry Research Neuroimaging 2011;194: 271-8
  • Schneier FR, Neria Y, Pavlicova M, Hembree E, Suh EJ, Amsel L, Marshall RD. : Combined Prolonged Exposure Therapy and Paroxetine for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Related to the World Trade Center Attacks: A Randomized Controlled Trial. American Journal of Psychiatry 2011;169: 80-88
  • Schneier FR, Belzer K, Kishon R, Amsel L, Simpson HB: Escitalopram for persistent symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder after CBT: A pilot study. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease 2010;198: 458-461
  • Schneier FR, Foose TE, Hasin DS, Heimberg RG, Liu S-M, Grant BF, Blanco C: Social anxiety disorder and alcohol use disorder comorbidity in the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Psychological Medicine 2010;40: 977-88