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Writing about psychiatry, anxiety, depression, or how mental health care gets delivered? Here's everything you need to describe shrinkMD accurately, verify our credentials, and request written expert commentary from Dr. Shariq Refai.
Written under the clinical direction of Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA, board certified psychiatrist · Last updated September 28, 2026 · Editorial policy
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Media contact
How to reach us
Email [email protected] with your name, outlet, topic, and deadline. We read every request and reply fastest to specific questions with a clear deadline.
Dr. Refai answers in writing, by email, so you get quotes you can use as written and a clinician who's had time to check the evidence. We don't book podcast, broadcast, livestream, or show appearances.
We can't comment on individual patients, diagnose anyone we haven't evaluated, or discuss public figures' health.
Fact sheet
shrinkMD at a glance
| What it is | A psychiatrist-led online psychiatry practice for adults 18 and older: psychiatric evaluations and medication management by secure video |
|---|---|
| Where | Online only, opening first in Maine and Nebraska. Based in Jacksonville, Florida |
| Founder | Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA, board certified psychiatrist and medical director |
| Payment model | Cash pay with published prices; no insurance billing. First evaluation $295 (nurse practitioner) or $395 (psychiatrist). Superbills on request |
| Prescribing | Non-controlled medications only. shrinkMD doesn't prescribe stimulants or benzodiazepines |
| Framework | The Digital Psychiatry Index, a five-pillar standard for responsible virtual psychiatric care |
| Legal name | shrinkMD Health Inc. shrinkMD® is a registered trademark of Shariq Refai, used under license |
Styling: shrinkMD is written with a lowercase "shrink" and capital "MD," including at the start of a sentence.
Boilerplate
About shrinkMD
shrinkMD is a psychiatrist-led online psychiatry practice for adults, founded by board certified psychiatrist Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA. shrinkMD offers full psychiatric evaluations and ongoing medication management by secure video, with published cash-pay prices and non-controlled prescribing. It's opening first in Maine and Nebraska, with more states added as clinician licensure completes. shrinkMD is the clinical care practice within The Shrink Network, a group of independent, ad-free mental health education sites. Learn more at shrinkmd.com.
Founder
About Dr. Shariq Refai
Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA, is a board certified psychiatrist and the founder and medical director of shrinkMD. He's a Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, board certified by the American Board of Sports and Performance Psychiatry, and a Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association. He earned his MD at St. George's University School of Medicine and an MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, and he has served as Team Psychiatrist for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He's the medical editor of The Shrink Network and writes about anxiety, overthinking, and modern psychiatry at shariqrefai.com. Full bio and credentials: Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA.
- Verify: NPI registry, ORCID, Wikidata, Doximity, and shrinkMD verification links
- Name and credentials for attribution: Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, board certified psychiatrist and founder of shrinkMD
Expert topics
Topics Dr. Refai can comment on
Written commentary, grounded in current clinical guidelines and research.
- Anxiety, panic, overthinking, and rumination, including why the body settles before the thinking does
- Depression and treatment options when a first antidepressant doesn't work
- Non-controlled prescribing and why some practices don't prescribe stimulants or benzodiazepines
- Cash-pay psychiatry versus insurance: costs, trade-offs, and superbills
- Telepsychiatry quality: what responsible virtual psychiatric care should include
- Access to psychiatrists in rural states, including Maine and Nebraska
- Sports and performance psychiatry: athletes, high performers, and pressure
Send your questions in the first email. Specific questions get faster, better answers than a request for a call.
Research and data
Citing the Digital Psychiatry Index
The Digital Psychiatry Index is shrinkMD's framework for evaluating virtual psychiatric care across five pillars: access velocity, continuity of care, medication safety and clinical oversight, ethical practice in digital psychiatry, and clinician sustainability. The full framework explains each pillar and its measures.
You're welcome to cite or quote it with attribution and a link. Each pillar has a stable anchor you can link to directly, and the index page includes a ready-to-copy citation.
Coverage
Dr. Refai in the news
Dr. Refai has been quoted as an expert source in The Epoch Times, EatingWell, Top Doctor Magazine, and DomesticShelters.org, and profiled in a Duval County Medical Society member spotlight.
Brand assets
Logos and photos
Logo files: shrinkMD logo (SVG) and reversed logo for dark backgrounds (SVG). Please don't alter the colors, proportions, or wordmark.
For a high-resolution headshot of Dr. Refai, email [email protected].
Frequently asked questions
Good questions, clear answers
How do I request a quote from Dr. Refai?
Email [email protected] with your outlet, your questions, and your deadline. He responds in writing by email.
Does Dr. Refai do podcast or TV interviews?
No. shrinkMD provides written expert commentary only and doesn't book podcast, broadcast, livestream, or show appearances.
How should I describe shrinkMD?
shrinkMD is a psychiatrist-led online psychiatry practice for adults, founded by board certified psychiatrist Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA. It offers psychiatric evaluations and medication management by secure video with published cash-pay prices and non-controlled prescribing.
Where can I verify Dr. Refai's credentials?
His NPI registry listing (1467680660), ORCID profile, Wikidata entry, and Doximity profile are all linked on this page, and board certifications are listed on his bio.
Can I cite the Digital Psychiatry Index?
Yes, with attribution to shrinkMD and a link to the index page. Each of the five pillars has a stable link you can cite directly.
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