Gainesville, Florida
Anxiety Treatment in Gainesville
Gainesville has a paradox: a university medical powerhouse in town, and months of waiting to see anyone for anxiety or depression anyway. Students hit the highest risk age window for first episodes while juggling exams, and the counties around Alachua, from Levy to Gilchrist, are a psychiatric desert where the nearest option is an hour each way. Anxiety that persistent isn't a personality trait, it's the most treatable condition in psychiatry. shrinkMD treats anxiety in Gainesville by secure video, with board certified clinicians and first appointments as soon as availability allows.
Medically reviewed by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA, board certified psychiatrist · Published June 7, 2026 · Last reviewed July 7, 2026 · Editorial policy
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Why shrinkMD
shrinkMD in Gainesville, on your terms
We see UF students, staff, and Gainesville families within days by video, with appointments that flex around classes, labs, and Shands shifts. Care continues through summers anywhere in Florida and follows graduates into any of our ten states.
Nothing touches university systems or family insurance, because we bill none. Flat fee, published first, records released only with your authorization, and the same clinician each visit, semester after semester.
What's included
Anxiety care, done properly
Anxiety is a body event as much as a mind event, racing heart, tight chest, restless gut, thinned sleep, so treatment addresses both. After a full evaluation rules out the imitators, your plan combines what the evidence ranks first: SSRI or SNRI medication where indicated and cognitive behavioral work that interrupts the avoidance cycle keeping the alarm sensitive.
Expect visible movement in your scores within weeks, with follow ups every two to four weeks until the trend is unmistakable, then maintenance spacing. You'll have usable tools immediately, and a clinician who tracks results instead of assuming them. We're equally clear about what we won't do: no benzodiazepines, which trade an hour of relief for a stronger long term anxiety.
Keep exploring
Care and next steps in Gainesville
Frequently asked questions
Good questions, clear answers
Is video care practical out in the surrounding counties?
Yes, it runs fine on a phone connection, with phone backup protocols if video drops. Distance to care is the main barrier out there, and video deletes it.
Can I keep my clinician after I graduate from UF?
Yes, anywhere in Florida automatically, and in our other nine states if you move there. Treatment started at 20 should not end with a diploma.
Can I do anxiety treatment alongside my current therapist?
Yes, and we encourage it. We handle evaluation and medication, coordinate with your therapist with your permission, and the combination outperforms either alone.
How fast does anxiety treatment start working?
Skills help immediately, and medication typically begins working within two to six weeks. We measure scores at every visit so progress is visible, not guessed.
Do you treat panic attacks specifically?
Yes. Panic disorder gets targeted care: medication that lowers the baseline plus breathing and interoceptive skills that take the terror out of the attacks themselves.
About Gainesville
With about 145,000 residents, Gainesville is a community we're glad to serve. It's a college town and major medical hub built around the University of Florida and its teaching hospitals. We care for students, faculty, and hospital staff.
Serving Gainesville
Across Gainesville, from downtown, Paynes Prairie Preserve, and Devil's Millhopper, residents can meet a board-certified psychiatrist by secure video with shrinkMD. Gainesville is a North Central Florida college town, home to the University of Florida, so virtual care means no drive and no waiting room, just steady follow-up with one clinician.
What it costs
Transparent, published pricing
Our self-pay prices are the same in every state where we practice. No insurance billing, and no surprise statement later.
| Service | Self-pay price | What's included |
|---|---|---|
| Initial evaluation | From $295 | A full 50 to 60 minute evaluation, diagnosis, and written plan. |
| Follow-up visits | $110 to $215 | Per visit, depending on length and complexity. Member rates are lower. |
| Membership (optional) | $49 per month | Priority scheduling, member rates, and the Unstuck and QuitScrolling apps. First month free. |
Your care team
Who you will see
Your care is delivered by shrinkMD clinicians, and you keep the same one over time. You meet by secure video with a clinician licensed in your state.
- Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA, founder and board certified psychiatrist (ABPN), dual board certified in psychiatry and in sports and performance psychiatry.
- Matthew George, PMHNP-BC, ANP-BC, dual board certified psychiatric nurse practitioner with more than two decades of clinical experience.
Helpful guides to read next
More from a trusted source: Anxiety Disorders - National Institute of Mental Health.
Nearby areas
Anxiety Treatment in nearby Florida cities
Your next step in The Shrink Network
You are here: shrinkMD, the clinical care layer of The Shrink Network.
Each site in the network has one job. No matter where you enter, we help you find the next step that makes sense.
Get clinical care with shrinkMD
Want to understand more first?
Start anxiety treatment in Gainesville
Call 1-877-747-4656 now, appointments are available as soon as availability allows for Gainesville residents, by secure video from home.
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