The Shrink Network · 8 min read
shrinkMD: The Care Arm of the Shrink Network
Reading about mental health helps. Practicing skills helps. But at some point many people need an actual clinician, someone who can evaluate, diagnose, and treat. That's the job shrinkMD does inside the Shrink Network. Here's what it is, what makes it the care arm, and how it connects to everything else.
Written under the clinical direction of Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA, board certified psychiatrist · Last updated October 3, 2026 · Editorial policy
From my practice · Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA
Why the care arm has to be a real practice
I'm protective of the line between education and care, because blurring it's where a lot of harm happens online. A website can tell you what generalized anxiety is. It can't sit with your particular history, weigh the trade-offs of a medication for you specifically, and take responsibility for the plan. That requires a licensed clinician, and pretending otherwise does people a disservice.
So shrinkMD is built as an actual medical practice, not a slick front end. When the learning sites send someone my way, I want them to land in real care with real accountability. That's the whole reason the network has a care arm at all, and it's the part I'll never let become an app feature.
What shrinkMD is
shrinkMD is a physician-led telepsychiatry practice. Adults can meet a board certified psychiatrist by secure video, get a real psychiatric evaluation, and receive diagnosis and treatment, including medication when appropriate, across several licensed states. The model is built around access and continuity: care that fits into a real life and that you can keep coming back to.
Within the Shrink Network, shrinkMD plays one specific role. It isn't an encyclopedia or an app. It's the place where actual clinical care happens, with a licensed physician and the responsibility that comes with that. The other properties are built to hand off to it.
Why a network needs a care arm
Education and self-help can carry a person a long way, but they have a hard limit. They can't diagnose you, they can't prescribe, and they can't take responsibility for your treatment. At some point a real clinician has to enter the picture. A network that only informed and never treated would leave people stranded at the most important moment.
shrinkMD closes that gap. When a learning site explains a condition or a practice app surfaces something that needs attention, there's a clear, trusted place to go for actual care. That's what turns a pile of good information into an actual path to getting better.
What makes the care model different
shrinkMD is built to remove the usual friction. There's no waiting room and no commute, because visits happen by video. Fees are flat and published instead of buried in insurance billing, with superbills available if you want to seek reimbursement. New patients are typically seen as soon as clinician availability allows rather than after months on a waitlist.
The practice is also deliberately conservative. It doesn't prescribe controlled substances such as stimulants or benzodiazepines, and it builds evidence-based plans that combine medication when appropriate with therapy and lifestyle change. The goal is responsible, continuous care, not a quick script.
How shrinkMD connects to the learning sites
shrinkMD doesn't try to out-encyclopedia the encyclopedia. When you want depth on a condition, its pages point you to Shrinkopedia; for medication detail, to PsychiatryRx; for living with depression or anxiety, to DepressionResource.org and AnxietyResource.org.
This is the care-to-learning handoff. A clinical visit is short and focused; the learning sites are where you can read at your own pace before and after. Sending you there isn't passing the buck. It's using the right tool for the job and respecting that understanding takes more time than one appointment allows.
How shrinkMD connects to the practice apps
Treatment works best when something happens between appointments. shrinkMD points patients toward the network's practice tools for that daily work: shrinQ for a self-guided program, Be Unstuck for breaking unhelpful loops, and Quit Scrolling for reclaiming attention from the phone.
Care sets the direction; practice covers the distance. A psychiatrist can identify what needs to change, but the change itself happens in the days between visits. The practice apps give that work a structure, which is why care and practice are designed to point at each other.
When to start with shrinkMD
If symptoms have lasted more than a couple of weeks, interfere with your sleep, work, or relationships, or you simply want a professional read on what's going on, shrinkMD is a reasonable starting point. You don't need a diagnosis or a crisis to deserve an evaluation. You can begin with booking or read how the process works first.
If you're in crisis, don't wait for an appointment; call or text 988, or call 911. For everything short of that, the care arm is there precisely so that reading and practicing can become real treatment whenever you're ready.
Key takeaways
Five things to remember
- shrinkMD is the clinical care arm of the Shrink Network: a physician-led telepsychiatry practice where you're actually evaluated, diagnosed, and treated.
- A network of education and self-help needs a care arm because information alone can't diagnose, prescribe, or take responsibility for treatment.
- The model removes friction with video visits, flat published fees, and prompt access, while staying conservative and evidence-based.
- shrinkMD links out to the learning sites for depth and to the practice apps for daily work, using the right tool for each job.
- You don't need a crisis to start; an evaluation is reasonable whenever symptoms persist or you want a professional read.
Keep exploring
Keep reading, or take the next step
Frequently asked questions
Good questions, clear answers
What's shrinkMD?
shrinkMD is a physician-led telepsychiatry practice and the clinical care arm of the Shrink Network. Adults can meet a board certified psychiatrist by secure video, receive a full evaluation, and get diagnosis and treatment, including medication when appropriate, across several licensed states. It's the part of the network where actual medical care happens, as opposed to the education and self-help properties.
How's shrinkMD different from the other Shrink Network sites?
The other properties teach and help you practice; shrinkMD treats. Sites like Shrinkopedia and PsychiatryRx explain conditions and medications, and apps like shrinQ and Be Unstuck help you build habits. shrinkMD is the only part of the network with a licensed physician who can actually diagnose you and manage your treatment. The others point toward it when care is needed.
Do I need to use the rest of the network to use shrinkMD?
No. You can come straight to shrinkMD for an evaluation without touching any other property. The connections are there for convenience: shrinkMD can point you to deeper reading or to practice tools when they'd help, but they're optional. Plenty of patients use only the care arm.
What does shrinkMD treat, and what does it not?
shrinkMD treats common adult psychiatric concerns such as depression, anxiety, and related conditions, combining medication when appropriate with therapy and lifestyle guidance. It's deliberately conservative and doesn't prescribe controlled substances such as stimulants or benzodiazepines. For a physical emergency or acute crisis, it isn't the right channel; call or text 988 or call 911 instead.
How much does it cost and is insurance required?
shrinkMD uses flat, published fees rather than insurance billing, so you know the cost up front. Superbills are available if you want to seek reimbursement from your own plan. This keeps pricing transparent and protects the time needed for careful visits, which is the part insurance reimbursement tends to squeeze.
How quickly can I be seen?
New patients are typically seen as soon as clinician availability allows, rather than after the long waits common in psychiatry. Because visits are by video, there's no commute or waiting room, which also makes it easier to keep follow-up appointments, the part of treatment that actually drives results.
Is telepsychiatry as good as in person?
For most common adult conditions, video care is comparable to in-person care for evaluation, diagnosis, and medication management. Where an in-person exam, certain controlled medications, or acute crisis care is needed, shrinkMD will say so. For the steady work of understanding symptoms and adjusting treatment over time, the screen is more than enough.
Who provides the care?
Care is provided by a board certified psychiatrist. The network and the practice are led by Dr. Shariq Refai, a board certified psychiatrist with more than fifteen years of experience and the founder of shrinkMD. The same clinical standard that runs through the network's education sites runs through the care itself.
Sources
Sources and further reading
About the author
Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA
I'm a board certified psychiatrist and the founder of shrinkMD, a telepsychiatry platform built around access, continuity, and clinical rigor. My work focuses on helping people understand their mental health clearly and thoughtfully, without rushing to conclusions or shortcuts. I have clinical experience across a range of settings, including work with high-performing individuals and professional athletes, and I remain committed to care that's careful, individualized, and grounded in sound clinical judgment. shrinkMD provides psychiatric care across multiple licensed states in the US, with an emphasis on responsible telepsychiatry and long-term continuity.
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