Hastings, Nebraska
Depression Treatment in Hastings
In a town Hastings sized, the clinic parking lot is a bulletin board, and that fact alone has kept generations of treatable anxiety and depression untreated. Add Adams County's thin psychiatric coverage and the local conviction that you push through, and the people carrying the most are the least likely to be seen carrying it. Two weeks or more of that pattern is clinical depression, and it's one of the most treatable conditions in medicine. shrinkMD treats depression in Hastings by secure video, with board certified clinicians and 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 Hastings, on your terms
Video care deletes the bulletin board: board certified treatment from your own living room, no lot, no lobby, no familiar pickup parked outside anything. Appointments within days.
We bill no insurance, so no claim exists anywhere, and records move only with your written authorization. Scheduling fits early mornings, lunch hours, and evenings, the rhythms of how Hastings actually works.
What's included
Depression care that compounds
Depression maintains itself through a loop, less activity, fewer rewards, lower mood, less activity, and effective treatment attacks the loop from every side at once. Medication lifts the floor, typically within four to six weeks. Behavioral activation restarts momentum in five minute increments. Therapy, where indicated, rebuilds the thinking patterns depression distorts.
We track your PHQ-9 at every follow up so the trend is visible to both of us, and we adjust until the numbers and your life agree. Once recovered, treatment continues for the months that protect against relapse, and you leave maintenance with a written plan: your warning signs, your responses, and exactly when to call. Recovery is the goal; staying recovered is the standard.
Keep exploring
Care and next steps in Hastings
Frequently asked questions
Good questions, clear answers
Will anyone in town know I am getting treatment?
Only whoever you tell. There is nothing to see and nothing billed, the privacy is built into the structure.
Is video psychiatry as good as driving to a specialist?
The same evaluations, the same measured follow up, the same board certification, minus the drive and the wait. For rural Nebraska it is not a compromise, it is the upgrade.
Can I do treatment if I can barely get off the couch?
That's exactly who video care is for: 15 to 30 minute visits from wherever you are, and a plan built for the energy depression leaves you, not the energy it takes.
What if I'm having thoughts of suicide?
Call or text 988 now, that line exists for this exact moment. Then let treatment start, because depression this heavy is still treatable, and you should not carry it alone.
How do I know it's depression and not burnout?
Burnout lifts with rest and distance from its cause; depression follows you everywhere. The evaluation tells them apart, and the treatments differ.
About Hastings
Hastings is home to about 25,000 residents. It's the seat of Adams County, a regional center in south-central Nebraska and home to Hastings College. Our patients here range across farming families, college students and staff, hospital workers, and commuters.
Serving Hastings
Care should reach every corner of Hastings. As a south-central Nebraska city and the birthplace of Kool-Aid, Hastings stretches from Highland Park, the Historic Downtown District, and the Hastings Museum, 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 Nebraska 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 Hastings
Call 1-877-747-4656 now, appointments are available as soon as availability allows for Hastings residents, by secure video from home.
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