Dr. Sarah Scarfe, Psychiatrist, Vancouver, BC

Ratings for Dr. Sarah Scarfe

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  The worst. So unhelpful and impatient, and can confirm with another comment as racist. Clearly has some issues of her own she needs to work on. She would go on long rants about certain type of behaviour only for me to explain that is not an issue or relevant to me, only for her to sheepishly realize her mistake because she’d interrupted me by going on a rant and assuming things from barely half a sentence on my end and become irritated. I do not know if she grew up well off as a comment suggests, but has some real issues with people of colour that did grow up well off. Constantly asking how that is even possible to the most normal things as if POC all live in abject poverty if they aren’t from Canada. The worst was her constant thing about me not knowing English when I came to Canada which is so odd because it’s the only language I know and I literally moved here for school from England where I was born and raised.

  Submitted: April 03, 2024
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  it’s been so long since i’ve seen sarah as my psychiatrist. i saw her from 2016 to 2018. i stayed with her for so long because i thought therapy is supposed to be hard! right? i had only seen one counsellor at ubc counselling services for a couple of months prior, but was eventually referred due to suicidality and such. i was 21 at the time. so, for the most part, this was my first encounter with “therapy”. i chose to ignore many things about her that made me uncomfortable, trying to lean into that professional dynamic she insisted on—which i later recognized as a power-over tactic. she is the expert and i am a walking DSM (because, to her, my whole existence is a cocktail of pathologies). i spent 2 years giving this woman chance and chance again to be and do better, naming her harms and asking her to change only for her to deflect back onto me. she is awful. i firmly believe she should not be permitted to work with vulnerable folks. she had me try every. single. medication she could think of. at multiple points my health deteriorated because of these medications. one was venlafaxine—a rough snri with a painfully short half-life. my executive functioning is regularly low so i forget to take my meds at night so i take them in the morning. something that will absolutely make you feel full-body ill if you do with venlafaxine. this medication, which i was also on with about 3 other medications she prescribed me to take daily (???), was a primary factor in my RESTING HEART RATE was 110/BPM. when i told her this made me feel unwell and i’d like to be taken off, she stated “well there are benefits and costs to treatments that work”. let me tell you, the treatment wasn’t working and i still wanted to kill myself after “giving it time” for 1.5 years. yay! she is careless when it comes to prescribing medications. one time i called to cancel one appointment a few hours beforehand because i was not feeling well. i called to inform student health reception i would not be attending. i received a call from sarah at the start of our appointment. she said she was “calling to check in” on how i was doing. i let her know i was feeling extremely suicidal and did not feel safe leaving my house. sarah’s response: “well that doesn’t sound like an illness to me and i don’t do phone appointments, so you’ll have to pay for this missed session out of pocket.” about 1.5 years into therapy with her, i built up the courage to tell her that our therapeutic relationship was not working for me and i’d be looking for a new psychiatrist. she replied “you have a tendency to always run away from your problems.” (??? i think 1.5 years says the opposite) she asked me to tell her how she could show up differently, which i had already been doing, but gave her one more chance. she did not change. i ghosted her a few months later. best decision of my life! sarah scarfe is devoid of empathy. i experienced multitudes of racism and ableism especially. i didn’t realize how traumatic my experiences with her were until i began therapy with a counsellor who provided gentleness and empathy. i was so scared to be invalidated again and labelled pathologies, but instead i was treated like a human being. i am now much healthier and understand my psyche more. sarah scarfe caused me pain when i was at my most vulnerable. she should not be in a position to have power over anyone, let alone vulnerable students. i urge everyone to avoid her.

  Submitted: June 12, 2023
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  I used to see her while a student at UBC. I also found her bedside manner to be unsympathetic and cold like other reviewers have mentioned. She also suggested that I might have ADHD and prescribed meds for me which did nothing to for my anxiety and depression. It also didn't boost my performance in anyway. Stop seeing her after a few months.

  Submitted: July 18, 2022
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  i can't believe she even has a medical license. UBC should fire her asap. She doesn't give her patients informed consent about the medications she is prescribing and hasn't been consistent with a treatment plan. When i asked to switch medications because they weren't working she said i was "looking for an easy solution" to cure my depression. Because I have TRD i asked if she could prescribe me spravato (esketamine) or do pharmacogenic testing to find an antidepressant that might work but she refused both on the basis that "she's never done that before." She didn't even know what esketamine was and how it's used to treat depression despite it beig FDA approved and approved in Canada for the treatment of depression as well. I asked her to put in a referral to a sleep clinic for me because I needed to be tested for sleep apnea and months later when I asked for an update she said the referral had "fell through" and told me I had to request another one from my family doctor which makes no sense whatsoever. Despite concerns over my treatment not working so far, Dr. Scarfe has been reluctant to try anything new and told me to simply "give it more time." Unfortunately, I don't think she realizes that not everyone is privileged enough to be idle about their mental health because not everyone can deal with the symptoms while simultaneously make enough money to support themselves. I tried to explain this to her, and when I asked her to fill out a PWD (persons with disabilities) package for myself to help supply income I needed, she refused. In conclusion, Dr. Scarfe is a very by-the-textbook psychiatrist that doesn't see her patients as humans, but rather just a condition that she has to deal with. She lacks a lot of sensitivity and empathy, and does not realize the gravity of her position as a medical professional. Also, just from reading the other reviews, some commonalities stuck out to me, such as there being a barrier of communication due to her timid nature. Also, yes, it is true that she was Elisa Lam's psychiatrist. I honestly was debating even bringing that up because I want to because of some concerning similarities between Elisa's case and mine. Dr. Scarfe has me on two of the medications that Elisa was on, Venlafaxine and quetiapine, despite her and I having different diagnoses. In the reports on Elisa, Dr. Scarfe told her to take quetiapine "as needed," (take an extra dose if under severe mental distress) the same advice she gave to me as well. To quote from someone else, "What Dr would advise a patient to take Seroquel "when necessary"? Doubling a dose and then halving a dose abruptly can have dire consequences for the patient. Missing doses like this can cause an array of problems. The patient information leaflet for Seroquel states: "If you forget to take a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is almost time to take the next dose, wait until then. Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten tablet." So why did she advise me to take that extra dose if needed? Along with the quetiapine and venlafaxine, she prescribed me ACT-dextroamphetamine and when I mentioned my concerns to her about taking those medications together, because of the potential for very dangerous side effects she seemed annoyed and said something along the lines of "well sometimes psychiatrists do it if the benefits outweigh the risks" and just kind of brushed it off which seems pretty unprofessional.

  Submitted: May 03, 2022
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  Tried to diagnose me with ADHD because I confirmed I liked roller coasters. Would not listen to anything I said and was incredibly cold. When I told her I wouldn't be returning, she raised her voice and said "Is this what you do when somsone does something you don't like? You just leave?'" Very loaded statement and I wondered what kind of baggage she has that hasn't been taken care of to say that. I saw her in the waiting room of Student Health Services a couple of weeks later, and she looked at me and gave me a smug smile. For your own sanity and mental health, do NOT see Dr. Scarfe. Those below who eventually found her to be helpful had to work very hard and ignore her poor social skills. You should not have to hold your psychiatrist's hand to get the help you need and deserve.

  Submitted: January 27, 2022
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  This bitch is a racist, she is unprofessional, and a generally shit person. She is one of those privileged trust fund babies playing doctor. She is useless. What a waste of time.

  Submitted: November 25, 2021
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  Dr. Scarfe was cold and unkind. She diagnosed me with ADHD without administering any kind of validated rating scale or structured/semi-structured clinical interview. She did not ask me if I had any ADHD symptoms during childhood which is required for a diagnosis of ADHD. She also did not seem to consider that I had a lot on my plate in a demanding graduate program which may have explained my anxiety and distress around meeting deadlines, rather than ADHD. Once I asked her if I could plug in my laptop in her office because I was transiting after our session and wanted to do work on the bus, and she refused and said, "my office is not a charging station". After just a few weeks of seeing her, I shuddered in anticipation of my psychiatry appointments and absolutely dreaded them. I always felt worse afterwards. After six months, I asked her for a referral to another psychiatrist, politely saying that we may not be the right fit. She refused, stating that I didn't have to see her anymore, but she would not help me find another psychiatrist (presumably because she was hurt/offended in the moment, which is fair). When I asked her again at a subsequent session, she recommended three psychiatrists that she thought would be a better fit. It was the nicest thing she did for me and I am very grateful because I was switched to a psychiatrist who is incredible that I have been seeing for five years (although, largely owing to his excellent care, I now only see him 3-4 times per year for check-ins).

  Submitted: November 15, 2021
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  honestly don't bother with her lol. refuses to put in any effort into understanding patients and basically tried to gaslight me into believing i didnt have the problems SHE diagnosed me with. incredibly odd person who seems like she hates every second of her job. if you are in a tough mental spot, don't go to her she will make it worse.

  Submitted: March 01, 2021
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  I can understand and relate to all of the reviews below. My initial reaction to Dr. Scarfe was that of being judged or misunderstood and it made me very anxious. Part of that, is some of the things she mentioned or said made me feel invalidated. I was worried about bringing it up to her - but found that letting her know what things make you feel certain feelings or are unhelpful - she is so receptive to that and to working with you to find options that work. She is okay if you are angry or upset at what she says and actually encourages you to name those feelings and talk about it. Regarding the street medication comment below - certain medication are under the controlled substance act, and they are required to let us know that they can only give us a certain amount and with that they are very strict. I did not enjoy that conversation but understand where she is coming from. She is able to name things and patterns that sometimes you are not aware of or may seem like she isn't considering context, so I have learned to question and ask - she encourages it. Through the months, that I have worked with her - I hated her at first - and now I can genuinely speak to the fact that (even though it can be frustrating at times), it has helped me use the skills and patterns we discuss to help improve on my mental health conditions - she is open to your input and feelings, and to growth. I would advise that you be patient and if there are things that bother you or make you feel hurt, that you can speak up and that it is safe to do so. It can be challenging to address and open up to new diagnosis or therapy that you do not believe in or a different style of support at first but it is rewarding. If you find, that it is something you may struggle with and wait a few sessions, and talk about it or if you don't want to, feel free to switch. Her working style may or may not mesh with your personal needs and that is ok - everyone is different and mental health is sensitive. I would recommend her.

  Submitted: December 31, 2020
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  I really don't understand some of the statements below. As far as every resource I have come across suggests, therapy is a time for the patient to speak and the doctor to listen, analyze and respond. Dr. Scarfe has in every situation checked in on my emotions. She is perceptive and can tell within the first few minutes of a session if something is wrong. If she is concerned about my wellbeing nearing the end of an appointment, she continually tells me I can call in and make another appointment sooner if I need to. In every case that counts, she has been exceptionally informative in delivering the details of my medications. She has presented many many many local programs to me. She is attentive and perceptive, and although not perfect, I think its important to consider that if you're seeing a psychiatrist, you're likely mentally ill. Maybe thats what has been colouring some of these reviews, I don't know. I have started and stopped therapy 4 separate times in my life and Dr. Scarfe is the only one I found capable of dealing with my problems.

  Submitted: November 30, 2020
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  terrible psychiatrist literally ghosted me , and its been over a month. what psychiatrist does that ????? felt very uncomfortable by her as it seemed she was always judging me, has little to no empathy. i usually don't write reviews because i feel bad but im very concerned for her future patients especially those who are sucidal .

  Submitted: October 15, 2020
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  Dr. Scarfe is a bit unusual. Very shy and quiet at first. I can definitely see how some of the things she says come off as offensive or hurtful. I have a friend who saw her and chose to find a different psychiatrist because of it. Dr. Scarfe is definitely not going off a script or manual. If you can tolerate it though, I found her to be caring and competent.

  Submitted: July 26, 2019
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  Terrible psychiatrist. Very timid and quiet and barely speaks during her sessions. Did not gain any skills or learn anything. Waste of time.

  Submitted: March 15, 2019
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  Implied that I was selling my medication on the street because she couldn't do simple arithmetic. I didn't even know they had "street value" until she told me in those words specifically. I've only ever used my medication personally. She also tried to diagnose me with a disorder using 2 surveys with very little internal and external validity. They were both under 30 questions long with high demand characteristics. When I asked for a different opinion, she smirked and told me smugly that it would be very difficult for me to do that. I never spoke out against her for fear of retaliation, and I have lived in shame for many years for that. Her seemingly quiet, timid nature is a front for her abusive practices in private settings.

  Submitted: February 27, 2019
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  Elisa Lam's physician --- withdraw her licence asap!

  Submitted: March 14, 2016