The network
shrinkMD is part of The Shrink Network
Mental health care, education, and wellness tools aren't the same thing, and treating them as one is how people get confused or quietly sold something they didn't come for. The Shrink Network keeps them separate on purpose. shrinkMD is the clinical practice in that family.
Medically reviewed by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA, board certified psychiatrist · Last reviewed June 17, 2026 · Editorial policy
What it is
One family, clear roles
The Shrink Network isn't a single website with many tabs. It's a set of independent properties, each with its own focus, that link to one another so you can move between care, education, and self-guided tools when it makes sense, and not before. Keeping them separate is a deliberate choice, and it's what lets each one stay honest about what it can and can't do for you.
shrinkMD is the clinical practice. When you need a diagnosis, a prescription, or ongoing treatment with the same psychiatrist over time, that's what shrinkMD provides. Everything else in the network either explains (the education sites) or gives you something to practice with (the wellness tools), and none of it's a substitute for care.
Care
Clinical care lives in one place
Licensed psychiatric treatment, with the legal and ethical boundaries real medical care requires.
shrinkMD (you're here)
Independent multistate telepsychiatry: evaluation, diagnosis, and medication management with the same clinician over time.
Learn more →Learn
Education that explains, without selling
Independent, psychiatrist-reviewed publications. They inform; they don't diagnose or treat you.
Shrinkopedia
An evidence-based encyclopedia of symptoms, conditions, and treatments, organized by what you actually notice.
Learn more →PsychiatryRx
Plain-language, sourced guides to psychiatric and sleep medications: how they work, what to expect, and how to stop safely.
Learn more →AnxietyResource
Practical, plain-language education about anxiety, panic, and the daily experience of living with it.
Learn more →DepressionResource
A long-form library for understanding depression, for yourself or someone you love.
Learn more →AnxietyResearch
Anxiety research translated into plain language, with the limits of the evidence stated honestly.
Learn more →Shrinktionary
Plain-language definitions of mental health terms, explained the way a psychiatrist would explain them.
Learn more →Practice
Tools to reflect and work through patterns
Wellness tools and a self-guided program. They aren't therapy and not a substitute for care from a clinician.
shrinQ
A structured, self-guided program for overthinking, anxiety, rumination, and burnout, worked at your own pace.
Learn more →Unstuck
A private, local-first wellness app for the moments you feel overwhelmed, scattered, or unable to sleep.
Learn more →Read
The psychiatrist behind the network
The background, writing, and forthcoming books of the physician who founded and reviews these properties.
ShariqRefai.com
Essays and books from Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, board-certified psychiatrist and founder of shrinkMD.
Learn more →The Shrink Network
The front door to the whole family, with a guide to which property fits which need.
Learn more →Compare
Which site for which need
A quick map from what you want to where to go. The cards above link to each one.
| If you want to… | Go to | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Get a psychiatric evaluation or medication | shrinkMD (here) | Licensed clinical telepsychiatry |
| Understand a condition in depth | Shrinkopedia | Mental health encyclopedia |
| Understand a medication | PsychiatryRx | Plain-language drug reference |
| Learn about anxiety | AnxietyResource | Anxiety education |
| Learn about depression | DepressionResource | Depression library |
| See what the research says | AnxietyResearch | Studies in plain language |
| Look up a term | Shrinktionary | Mental health glossary |
| Work through patterns yourself | shrinQ or Unstuck | Self-guided program and wellness app |
| Read Dr. Refai's writing | ShariqRefai.com | Essays and books |
Why several sites, not one
Keeping them separate protects you
Clinical care, education, and wellness tools answer different questions and carry different responsibilities. An education page should never quietly try to move you into treatment, and a wellness app should never pretend to be a doctor. Keeping them on separate properties, with the relationships disclosed, keeps each one honest.
So shrinkMD stays focused on care. When you want to understand a condition or a medication more deeply, the education sites are there. When you want a tool to practice with, shrinQ and Unstuck are there. You can move between them when it makes sense, and not before.
Standards
How the network handles information
Every educational property in the network is built to the same standard, so what you read can be trusted regardless of which site you land on.
- Every educational page names a medical reviewer and shows when it was last reviewed.
- Claims are tied to primary sources: the DSM-5-TR, NIMH, peer-reviewed research, and guidelines from the APA and NICE.
- The educational sites run no ads and sell no data.
- Where Dr. Refai has a financial interest, such as his practice, it's disclosed plainly on the page.
shrinkMD is the clinical practice and the founder's primary financial interest. That's stated openly across the network rather than hidden, which is how an honest network should work.
The founder
About Dr. Refai
Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA is a board-certified psychiatrist based in Jacksonville, Florida, dual board-certified in psychiatry and in sports and performance psychiatry, and a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He founded shrinkMD to expand access to psychiatric care, created the Unstuck app and the shrinQ program, and serves as medical editor for the network's education sites.
He writes and teaches with one aim: to make psychiatry understandable without making it less accurate. That principle is what ties the whole network together.
Keep exploring
Start where you are
Frequently asked questions
Good questions, clear answers
Is the education content part of shrinkMD's clinical service?
No. The education sites (Shrinkopedia, PsychiatryRx, AnxietyResource, DepressionResource, AnxietyResearch, Shrinktionary) are independent publications, not clinical services of shrinkMD. They provide general education, not medical advice.
Who owns the sites in The Shrink Network?
All were founded or are medically reviewed by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA. That common ownership is disclosed on every property. None runs advertising or earns referral revenue from the others.
Why keep them on separate websites?
Because care, education, and wellness carry different responsibilities. Separating them keeps an education page from quietly steering you into treatment, and keeps a wellness app from pretending to be a doctor.
Are shrinQ and Unstuck therapy?
No. They're self-guided wellness tools, not therapy, diagnosis, or treatment, and not a substitute for care from a licensed clinician.
Does the network make money from referrals between sites?
No. The properties don't run advertising or earn referral or affiliate revenue from one another. shrinkMD is the clinical practice and the founder's primary financial interest, which is disclosed openly.
Where do I go if I need actual care?
If you want a psychiatric evaluation and ongoing treatment, that's what shrinkMD provides. The education and wellness sites can help you understand and reflect, but they can't treat you.
How do I know the information is accurate?
Every educational page names a medical reviewer and a review date, cites primary sources such as the DSM-5-TR and NIMH, and is updated as the evidence changes.
Ready for psychiatric care?
shrinkMD is the clinical practice in the network. Join the waiting list and we'll reach out when booking opens in your state.
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