Bloomington, Indiana
Depression Treatment in Bloomington
Bloomington lives by surge cycles: August arrivals, finals weeks, winter darkness, graduation cliffs. Campus services absorb what they can while faculty, staff, graduate students, and the town's permanent residents queue months for routine psychiatric care. Depression is biology, not a failure of will, and biology responds to treatment. shrinkMD treats adults in Bloomington by video, with board certified clinicians, measured care, and first visits 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
Made to fit life in Bloomington
From Kirkwood to the east side to Ellettsville, visits happen by video year round, any month, with college mental health a core specialty and care that continues through summers in our licensed states.
We bill no insurance and are unaffiliated with the university, with flat published fees, session-unlimited continuity, and one clinician who knows your story.
What's included
From flat to forward
The first visit establishes what we're actually treating, depression's severity and subtype, any seasonal pattern, and the medical or bipolar mimics that change everything, plus your full medication history with doses, durations, and responses. Treatment then starts immediately: a thoughtfully chosen antidepressant when indicated, an activity plan built for low fuel days, and therapy folded in where it strengthens the result.
Follow ups every two to four weeks measure your scores and adjust the plan while the medication takes hold, energy usually moves first, mood follows, most often within four to six weeks. As you recover, visits space out and the focus shifts to prevention: consolidating sleep, protecting the habits that lifted you, and writing the relapse plan that keeps the next episode from ever getting traction.
Keep exploring
Care and next steps in Bloomington
Frequently asked questions
Good questions, clear answers
Campus counseling has session limits and waits. How are you different?
Continuous outpatient psychiatry with no session caps: evaluation within days, the same clinician each visit, and care that survives graduation.
I'm faculty and want care outside the university system.
Built in: unaffiliated, never billed through insurance, records private. Many faculty and staff choose us for that separation.
What if antidepressants have failed me before?
Bring the history, names, doses, durations, responses. Past trials are a map, not a verdict, and structured re evaluation often finds the path earlier prescribers missed.
Will I be on medication forever?
Often no. Many patients treat for a defined period after recovery, then taper with a plan. Some conditions warrant longer treatment, and we're honest about which is which.
How long until depression treatment works?
Typically two to six weeks for medication, with energy improving before mood. We track scores at every visit so neither of us is guessing.
About Bloomington
Bloomington is home to about 80,000 people. It's a college town home to Indiana University's flagship campus. Our patients here range across students, university faculty and staff, and working families.
Serving Bloomington
Care should reach every corner of Bloomington. As a college town and home to Indiana University, Bloomington stretches from Kirkwood Avenue, the IU campus, and Fourth Street, and shrinkMD brings board-certified telepsychiatry to all of it by secure video, with the same psychiatrist over time.
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.
Learn more
More from a trusted source: Depression - National Institute of Mental Health.
Nearby areas
Depression Treatment in nearby Indiana 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 depression treatment in Bloomington
Call 1-877-747-4656 now, appointments are available as soon as availability allows for Bloomington residents, by secure video from home.
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