Douglas Maskell makes people sick. Public safety hazard.

Submitted March 18, 2024

Doug Maskall, unethical medical experiments, and development of psychological and medical torture … Vancouver experiments..

Submitted March 2, 2024

Dr. Maskall is an amazing psyciatrist. I've been struggling for so many years with various mental health issues, and he prescribed me with Mixed Anxiety Disorder and some medication to help. I have been almost thriving ever since as a 14 year old and I am doing so much better around people, with school, and sleep. You can tell that he is a doctor that cares for the well-being of his patients. He treats them with respect and care no matter how old they are and no matter their disorder. He has inspired me to pursue my career in either being a psychologist or a psychiatrist and I am very lucky to have encountered him.

Submitted Feb. 27, 2024

I saw Maskell from about 15-17 with a plan in my mind to get drugs… I pretended to have ADHD symptoms and abused my prescription RIDICULOUSLY and obviously. Looking back as a 29 year old (also with over 3 years clean) I find it absolutely incredible how easy it was to do this. I did not realize the complex trauma I have dealt with, was dealing with and my past is a lot but I was a 15 year old… you think with literally all my warning signs of drug abuse, self harm etc etc and being a doctor he would have wisened up. It is scary how easy it was as such a young person to dupe this doctor and it is even scarier how easily they prescribe literal speed to people so young.
Anyways, I had to add this because it still baffles me how I faked having adhd and got soooooo much medication so easily from this doctor.

Submitted Jan. 15, 2024

Dr. Douglas Maskall saved my life. I saw him from age 14-18. and was diagnosed with OCD, MDD, and GAD. I am now 29 and I still use the skills and coping mechanism he taught me over 10 years ago. I had great luck with finding a good SSRI fit right away and we did not have to work though any medication changes. He provided an open and comfortable space to be vulnerable and free of judgement. I am convinced I wouldn't have been able to get and keep my mental health in control without his help, as well as the help my parents provided under the guidance of Dr. Maskall.

Submitted Aug. 18, 2023

Dr Maskall is ‘one-of-a-kind’ when it comes to health-care professionals. Not only is he extremely knowledgeable and thorough, but he is always so caring and present. He has never made me feel rushed or that my concerns are ridiculous. Every little bit of information is valuable to him. He truly has my son’s best interests at heart, going above and beyond to help us find both solutions and support . I am so incredibly grateful that we were referred his way!

Submitted Aug. 11, 2023

My son with severe autism has seen Dr. Maskall for about 8 years now, since age 8. Dr. Maskall has never rushed us, always very compassionate, knowledgeable and patient with us. We think the world of him. The receptionists are wonderful too!

Submitted July 12, 2023

I was referred to Dr M when I was 17 for anxiety and depression. He was always late for appointments and put me on a type of medication that did nothing but make my symptoms worse. After adding a second anti depressant I believe it may have helped but I gained about 30 pounds. Even though I felt better mentally, I hated the way I looked. As soon as I came off the meds I lost the weight. When I moved to Ontario, Dr M called and told me he couldn’t be my doctor anymore and that was it. He didn’t refer me to anybody else, didn’t ask if there was anything he could do for me, he just dropped me plain and simple. I am 27 now and still dealing with terrible anxiety and depression. Ontarios health care system is not great and I’ve been trying since moving here in 2020 to get a doctor but haven’t gotten one yet. This doctor does not seem to care about his patients and should not be licensed.

Submitted Feb. 19, 2023

I was referred to doctor Maskall when I was 8 for anxiety and depression. He was very easy to talk to and I felt like he understood me. After talking to him for about 2 years he helped me understand my anxiety and how to face it. I am now 14 and know how to control my anxiety, I have not suffered with it since. Thank you doctor Maskall :)

Submitted April 2, 2022

My experience with Doctor Maskall and the drugs he put me on have ruined the course of my life thus far and have done more damage than they have good.

I started seeing Dr. Maskall at the age of 14 and saw him for about 5 years after that. At that age I was diagnosed with Major Depressive disorder, ADHD and Anxiety and was referred to him for regulation of my medication. For this he started me off on a dose of Fluoxetine and after a humiliating encounter I found out they could have adverse effects on sexual performance. I was never told of this problem prior to that and was then given Wellbutrin to help balance the problem.

At the age of 17 when I attempted again to form intimate relationships I suffered sexual dysfunctions in a different form (not as bad, thanks to the modulation of those side effects thanks to Wellbutrin) that made these encounters go sideways as well. This made being intimate unbearable and I developed a great amount of insecurity because of this, and it was all due to the sexual side effects of the medication.
After a while of being on these drugs I began to experienced tingling in my feet, burning in my ankles, and episodes of confusion, I went and had tests done and went to the ER multiple times only to be told my tests were find and that it was just my anxiety. At the age of 18 I tapered off these drugs only to suffer months of the same symptoms I had on these drugs (excluding the sexual aspects. The tingling, the burning, the confusion) I chalked it up to my depression and anxiety as that's what I was told it could be.

Around 8 months later I couldn't emotionally handle being off the antidepressants and decided to go back on. This time I tried Zoloft and the doctor started me off at 25mg, almost immediately I suffered sexual side effects more severe than the fluoxetine and wanted off. I asked doctor Maskall if there was anything I could try that wasn't in the SSRI class of drugs that would treat my depression and he told me unfortunately there wasn't outside of a trycilic SSRI which I didn't like, or antipsychotics which in my experience have made me incredibly groggy and contribute to lots of weight gain. I later found out there are many more options including buspar, Remeron, and even viibryd which do not have the effects of the drugs that he chose to put me on. I asked him to get off as the problems from the drug were interfering with my relationship at the time, he proceeded to tell me to stop taking the drug all together, which I later found out I could have tapered down to 12.5 mg which he did not do.

Upon discontinuation the side effects persisted and never went away and I suffered a severe withdrawal syndrome. It has been 10 months since then and I now lost my relationship and my sense of self due to a severe reaction to withdrawing from the meds, my sexuality has been taken from me, as has my ability to think clearly, or connect with my emotions, if you don't believe me just research yourself the effects of PSSD and persistent withdrawal syndrome, he never warned be about the possibility of these dangers and am now stuck like this, possibly indefinitely.

Do not trust him just because he's a psychiatrist, he will try to give you drugs because that's his job, but explore other avenues first and if you really feel like antidepressants are the way, don't just take his word. Read, research, look before you put yourself on these pills. I was never anti-psychiatry but upon the extremely adverse experience I've had on these pills and Dr. Maskall's lack of attentiveness and support through my second round of antidepressants I will never trust a psychiatrist again. He told me he wouldn't warn his patients about these dangers because he believes the benefits outweigh the possible risk. While I agree this isn't necessarily a possibility for you, people should know the possibilities of what can happen. So here I am doing his job for you and letting you know, these pills aren't 100% safe, he should have warned me and he should be warning you too.

Submitted Sept. 13, 2021