Dr. Sofia R Rizwan, MD

She's a horrible person. Caused me angst and discomfort within moments of greeting her.. she hardly made eye contact and is extremely rude and self-entitled as if her time is that helpful, IT IS NOT. Don't waste your time and get someone that has consistent, honest feedback.. not the kind with mixed reviews lacking authenticity. If she were that good, they'd be more helpful and insightful.. go with your gut and get a good read on her before you let her in your head. You may be sick but she might need the help more than you.. food for thought.

I recently discontinued my patient care with Dr Rizwan after months of dealing with her harsh, judgmental and accusatory personality. After being a patient of hers for almost a year, being required to drug test at every appointment (never once testing positive); I was still met with her distrust, judgment and harsh treatment. If you have more than one condition that requires a controlled medication, she will make you choose which one you would like to treat. If you have the very common trifecta of disorders (Bipolar, ADHD and anxiety), you better see which medication you can do without, because she will not treat each disorder as though it is an individual problem. She'll ignore, redirect and lead you down an endless road of anti-psychotics to avoid getting you tested for, and acknowledge that your disorders require individual attention and are not merely a symptom of one another. If this isn't off-putting enough, she lacks complete and total bedside manner. She has attitude,… answers you with teenager-type responses and Goddess help you if you admit to having a few drinks over the course of a YEAR (You irresponsible alcoholic!) Anyone with a mental illness already knows the social stigma that comes along with living with these diagnosees, but just in case you don't already feel the discrimination and perceived deviance of your illness, she will be there to fill that void for you; making you painfully aware of your inability to live up to the social norms without her intervention. I'm sure the immediate response to my review is, "Why not just find another doctor if she was that bad?" --anyone that knows and lives with severe mental illness knows the difficulties that come along with 1) Admitting something is wrong because you cannot handle the normal demands of everyday life, 2) divulging your very personal past to yet another person, and 3) the insecurity and vulnerability you feel when you advocate for yourself by asking for the medications you know help to control your symptoms, but also immediately flag you as the MINORITY of people who are drug-seeking. I'm sure Dr Rizwan would make a fine tenured PhD in Organic Chem, completely complacent in her ability to determine a young scientists' future and apathetic towards failing those who truly put forth their best effort. This is the type of doctor you will come to know...

She is a good doctor

I really like this doctor. Very empathic and helps with some therapy and suggestions. I am so pleased with her, have been seeing her since 2017.

I read her reviews online and was contemplating going. LOVED HER, nice person and a good doctor. Please don’t MISGUIDE PEOPLE BY GIVING WRONG REVIEWS. Some people really need help.

I switched my psychiatrist to Dr. Rizwan after the Psychiatrist I was with before left Kaiser. Dr. Rizwan appeared to be shockingly unscrupulous. From the moment our appointments began, she would pressure me to increase the dose of the anxiety medication I was on. Sometimes I wouldn't speak up, and sometimes I tried to coax her away from it, telling her I had been on that medication for many years at high and low doses and was having doubts. It didn't work. When I decided to resist her direction and instead talk about my issues, she would ask me what medication I prefer to take instead. I was unprepared for this question, so I told her I didn't know. She responded to the tune of "well what do you want from me?", though I don't remember her exact words. She was regularly dismissive about the concerns I was raising. One day I tried to force discussing the issues I wanted to talk about. She responded with a smile and stifled laughter while making a subtle dig at my lack of… preparation. I got more upset, after which her laughter grew. That was the last day I saw her. I'm picky about doctors and I go through a lot of them. But I've never seen a doctor conduct themselves as unprofessionally as Dr. Rizwan did with me.

I went to see Dr. Rizwan for help. The first appointment went fine. When I came back for the second, she implied that I had drinking problem and wouldn't prescribe medication until I took a drug test??! That came out of the blue. I have no drug or alcohol issues nor do I have a history of it. It was like a I was meeting a different person on the second visit. I was so disappointed and offended by her. She really let me down. I found her judgmental and patronizing. I felt like she was laughing at me. So frustrating when you reach out to a professional for help and feel judged.

I really like her.

I am giving a very honest opinion. This is a doctor who is really invested in her patients. I see these negative reviews and I can see why people give her bad reviews. SHE SAYS NO TO PUTTING YOU ON AN ADDICTIVE MEDICATION. Honestly, I am so relieved that I started seeing her, she changed my life and she spends time with you and gets to know you. I really like her a lot.

My poor father who just suffered the loss of our his wife/my mother, of 52 years was referred here by his primary care doctor. After leaving three voicemails they finally called back, after almost a week, to say we needed to first fill out an intake form and submit. We did so immediately only to be told at that time she is no longer taking new patients. Very bad business practice and operation.