Dr. Patricia Dina Lifrak, MD

I switch from a different doctor to dr . Lifrak. I told her my anxiety medicine was ineffective and she immediately changed my prescription which my other doctor had refused to do. It honestly made the biggest difference. She trusts her patients and responds accordingly.

Disparaging to NP's

My experience with Dr. Lifrak has been positive. There were times where she stood up for me when I could not stand up for myself. She listens to me carefully and shows compassion for me. The wait time to see her has improved. Once I went into the office to schedule an appointment when she saw me and said, "why don't we meet right now?" I was thrilled not to have to make an extra trip back to see her. I recommend her when meds are the only option for treatment. - Marian H.

there was one girl in there who was so nice, the other two girls were ignorant and did not dress accordingly

I am sorry to say that she just pushes meds and when you talk about the problems there are more pills being upped or given. Not to say the wait time is crazy too. She herself is always late even if you are her fist patient. I think she is nice but her professionalism is not so great. We are mental patients most times and do not want nor have the time to always wait 1-4 hours

I went to Dr. Lifrak for treatment of my depression. She prescribed an SSRI, which made me anxious and agitated. When I told her this, she increased the dose. I got more anxious. This happened several times. I asked her if my anxiety could be caused by the medication itself, but she dismissed that as ridiculous. By this point, I was so agitated that my parents thought I was going crazy. They were worried I would seriously hurt myself, so they sent me to a psychiatric hospital, where I learned that the intense anxiety had, indeed, been caused by the SSRI. Apparently Dr. Lifrak didn't know that could happen, even though it was well-documented in the literature at that time. She wouldn't listen to me or my parents, and she was dismissive of our concerns. While in the hospital (worst week of my life), I was diagnosed with general anxiety disorder, and started on anti-anxiety meds, which quickly helped me improve. I was going hysterical on the SSRI, and this woman is to blame. Had I ended… up injured or dead, my parents would have sued her. Dr. Lifrak should have her medical license revoked and never be allowed to practice again.

The waiting room was dingy and filled with people talking about where to "score" because they heard the doctor didn't write for controlled substances "anymore". One of them even asked mme for money.They were putting their feet onthe end tables. The office was in a strip mall.. I waited over an hour. I went because my insurance suggested her. She giggled inappropriately during the assesment.Needless to say i plan on having a talk with my insurance company.

Never, have I EVER felt so disgusted with a doctor in my life. 2 months ago I made an appointment for my son who has Asperger's Syndrome. It was recommended by his neurologist that he sees a psychiatrist to help him work with his social anxieties. After 2 months, our appointment came. I never got a phone call reminding me of the appointment, luckily, I'm very organized and I called them. They said he was still on the books. I was also told to bring $25 CASH ONLY...what????!!! So, I arrived with my 10-year old son at the strip mall. I walked into a waiting room that was COVERED with debris, dust, and food particles all over the floor. People were passed out (yes, asleep) on the chairs, and speaking loudly to each other about throwing up on each other, waiting for over 3 hours to see the doctor, double-ended d&^dos, and bailing people out of jail. No one censored themselves in front of a small child. No one from the staff seemed out of touch with the waiting room's behavior. 2… months I waited. 10 minutes I gave them in that horrible place and then when 2 men decided to argue back and forth about wanting to talk or not talk to each other, I realized, it was time to go. I went to receptionist and demanded that all of my paperwork get shredded immediately and we walked out. This is not a practice to help people. It is a pill-pushing terrifying place. When a DOCTOR doesn't care about the hygiene of the waiting room, and the fact that the room reeks of alcohol and cigarettes, it is apparent that the doctor doesn't practice medicine responsibly. This place should be shut down and the doctor needs to return to school or lose her license!

You must sign a time sheet in person and the door opens at 9:45AM. There is already a line of 10-15 people waiting to sign the time sheet. The doctor doesn't arrive until 12-12:30. Your sign-in sheets are numbered so you go by number. New patients get seen as soon as they arrive and new patients take 50-60 minutes each. One time I had 5 new patients come in before me which took an extra 4+ hours wait. Today I was signed in at 9:45 and got seen at 2:45. The waiting room is dirty, crowded, and mis-matched chairs are packed around 3 walls. When you go into the office Dr. Lifrak has one of her employees (receptionist) sitting there. No other type of doctor has a non-medical person sitting there, especially psychiatric care. I like the doctor herself but waiting 5+ hours is a bit much. If you are not depressed or psychotic when you arrive you are by the time you actually see the doctor.

I like Dr. Lifrak as a psychiatrist. The office waiting room is like a horror story. If you have an appointment in the afternoon it is scheduled for 2:30PM - 7:30 PM. You have to come to the office after 10AM to sign the time sheet. You don't have to stay but this gets you in line. You can leave then call every hour to see where you are in the que. One time I signed the time sheet around 10:30AM and called about 12:30 and told there were 2 patients ahead of me. Since it takes 15 minutes to get there I started out. When I got into the office there were still 2 ahead of me. Then a new patient came in and they always get in right away and take about an hour. I decided to go home and have lunch. I called in 1.5 hours later and told there were 2 ahead of me so I went back with a book. When I got there I was told there were 3 ahead of me that another new patient came in. At this point I decided I would just wait. Then another new patient came in and got right in to see the doctor. After this… third new patient we got back to the regular que and I had 2 ahead of me. Finally I left the office after 6PM. The waiting room is usually filled with angry patients who have been there over 2 hours with kids. It is very disruptive and not conducive to mental health. The waiting room is small and the receptionist is right there so the waiting room gets to hear conversations in person and phone.