Financial disclosure. Dr. Refai founded and holds a material ownership interest in shrinkMD Health Inc., the entity that operates shrinkMD. Content on shariqrefai.com is educational, but linking readers to shrinkMD is a route to a clinical practice he owns, and that relationship is disclosed here plainly. See Relationships & Financial Disclosure for the full picture.
What shrinkMD is
shrinkMD is an independent telepsychiatry practice. Its clinicians provide psychiatric evaluation, diagnosis, medication management, and ongoing outpatient care by video visit. It's not a wellness app, not a coaching service, and not a life-coaching platform. It's a licensed clinical practice.
States shrinkMD currently serves
shrinkMD is open to patients in Maine and Nebraska. It's coming soon to California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, New York, Texas, and Virginia, and you can join the waitlist for those states. State coverage changes as the practice grows, so the current list and pricing live on shrinkmd.com. shrinkMD is private pay and doesn't bill insurance.
What shrinkMD covers
- Psychiatric evaluation and diagnosis.
- Medication management and ongoing prescribing.
- Follow-up visits and treatment adjustments over time.
- Care for adult psychiatric conditions including anxiety disorders, panic, OCD, depression, bipolar spectrum conditions, insomnia, and women's mental health concerns such as PMDD.
- Non-controlled medications only. shrinkMD doesn't prescribe controlled substances.
Who's a good fit
- Adults seeking psychiatric care in a state where shrinkMD is open.
- People who want continuity with a licensed psychiatrist rather than rotating clinicians.
- People whose situation is appropriate for outpatient telepsychiatry (video visits, remote medication management, ongoing follow-up).
Who's not a good fit
- Anyone in crisis. If you're thinking about suicide or in immediate danger, call or text 988 in the United States, call 911, or go to your nearest emergency room. shrinkMD is outpatient care, not a crisis service.
- Children and adolescents. shrinkMD's clinicians focus on adult care. Kids and teens need a child and adolescent psychiatrist.
- Anyone who needs in-person care first. Some conditions and some medication regimens are best started in-person. If a shrinkMD clinician thinks that describes you, they'll say so and help you find the right setting.
- Anyone outside the open states. shrinkMD's clinicians can only see patients where they're licensed and the practice is open. The waitlist covers the coming-soon states.
How to start
The clinical intake and appointment scheduling all happen at shrinkmd.com. You don't need to contact shariqrefai.com to become a patient. Go directly to shrinkmd.com/start-care and start the intake there.
If shrinkMD isn't right for you
The goal is that you get appropriate care, not that you get care from shrinkMD specifically. Reasonable places to find another psychiatrist:
- Your insurance carrier's in-network psychiatrist directory (usually the most current source on who's actually taking patients).
- Psychology Today's psychiatrist directory, which is filterable by insurance, state, specialty, and video availability.
- The SAMHSA behavioral health treatment locator (findtreatment.gov), the federal directory for mental health and substance use care, including sliding-scale and public options.
- Your primary care physician, who can refer to a psychiatrist locally and coordinate care.
What this page is and isn't
This page is informational. It explains how to become a patient at shrinkMD if you've decided you want to. It's not medical advice, it's not a recommendation that you specifically need psychiatric care, and it's not an endorsement that shrinkMD is objectively the best psychiatric practice. It's transparent plumbing between an educational site and the founder's clinical practice.
Frequently asked questions
Is shariqrefai.com the same as shrinkMD?
No. shariqrefai.com is Dr. Refai's educational and media platform. It doesn't provide clinical care and doesn't accept patients. shrinkMD is the separate telepsychiatry practice he founded and where he sees patients. They're intentionally kept separate for legal, editorial, and regulatory reasons.
Which states does shrinkMD currently serve?
shrinkMD is open to patients in Maine and Nebraska. California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Indiana, New York, Texas, and Virginia are coming soon, and you can join the waitlist for those states on shrinkmd.com. The current list is always on shrinkmd.com/locations.
How do I become a patient at shrinkMD?
Visit shrinkmd.com and start care there. The clinical intake, appointment scheduling, and clinical care all happen on shrinkmd.com, not here.
Does shrinkMD accept insurance?
No. shrinkMD is a private-pay practice and doesn't bill commercial insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid. On request it can provide a superbill you can submit to your plan for possible out-of-network reimbursement, which your plan decides. Current pricing is on shrinkmd.com.
Is Dr. Refai personally seeing patients, or does shrinkMD have other psychiatrists?
Dr. Refai founded and leads shrinkMD and sees patients there. The full clinical team is listed on shrinkmd.com, and every clinician follows the same clinical standards.
What if I'm in a state shrinkMD doesn't cover?
shrinkMD can only see patients in states where its clinicians are licensed. If you're outside those states, Psychology Today's psychiatrist directory, your insurance's provider directory, or the SAMHSA behavioral health treatment locator (findtreatment.gov) are reasonable places to find a psychiatrist near you.
Can shrinkMD help in a psychiatric emergency or crisis?
No. shrinkMD is an outpatient telepsychiatry practice, not a crisis service. If you're in crisis or thinking about suicide, call or text 988 in the United States for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, call 911, or go to your nearest emergency room. Those are the right resources for an emergency.
Does shrinkMD see children or adolescents?
shrinkMD's clinicians focus on adult psychiatric care. Children and adolescents typically need care from a child and adolescent psychiatrist. Ask your pediatrician for a referral or use the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's finder at aacap.org.
shariqrefai.com is an educational author and media platform. It does not provide clinical care, treatment, diagnosis, or a physician-patient relationship. Reading this page does not establish a physician-patient relationship with Dr. Refai or shrinkMD. Clinical care is provided at shrinkmd.com under its own terms and clinical protocols.