The Shrink Network

Follow a pathway

Pathways through the network.

Published July 5, 2026 · Last reviewed July 14, 2026 by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA

Ten common walks across The Shrink Network, from the first plain-language question to the point where care makes sense.

Written by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA

Mental health questions rarely stay in one place. A worry becomes a symptom search, a symptom becomes a condition, a condition raises a medication question, and somewhere along the way a person decides whether to get care. A pathway is a guided walk across the network that follows that arc. Each step opens the site built for that part of the journey, so you always know where to go next.

Pick the pathway that fits where you're right now. You don't have to finish it in one sitting, and you don't have to know which sites exist. Start at step one, and each site points you onward. If none of these fit, the Start Here page routes you based on what brought you in, and the Knowledge Graph explains the structure underneath every pathway.

When the last step is care

Care isn't one thing. It's at least five.

Several of the pathways below end at shrinkMD when clinical evaluation is genuinely the next real step. It's important to name that as one option among many, not the only door. Here's the honest menu. Full framework and disclosure live on the editorial strategy page.

  1. Your primary care doctor.

    The entry point most people already have. Many PCPs evaluate and treat common anxiety and depression, and they can refer if a specialist is needed.

  2. A therapist through Psychology Today or your insurance panel.

    For talk therapy. Psychology Today's directory is the largest in the US and lets you filter by insurance, specialty, and location.

  3. A psychiatrist for prescribing and complex care.

    The right fit for medication management, complex history, or a treatment that isn't working. Wait times for in-network psychiatrists in the US are often long, sometimes months.

  4. shrinkMD, one telepsychiatry option.

    shrinkMD is the network's independent telepsychiatry practice, board-certified, currently accepting adult patients in a limited set of US states. Transparently one option among many, not a recommendation above other qualified clinicians.

  5. 988 for crisis. This is a different moment.

    If you're thinking about suicide, in acute crisis, or someone you love is in danger right now, this isn't a "find a psychiatrist" moment. Call or text 988 in the US. Call 911 if someone is in immediate danger.

Full disclosure. The Shrink Network is founded by Shariq Refai, MD, who also owns shrinkMD. This site takes no referral fee, no affiliate commission, and no revenue for care sent to shrinkMD or any other clinician named here. We name shrinkMD because it's transparently one option, not because we recommend it above other qualified clinicians.

The pathways

Ten ways people move through the network.

Each pathway is a sequence of sites, in order. The first steps name and explain what you're dealing with. The middle steps go deeper or put the idea to work. The last step is care, for when it makes sense to talk with a clinician.

Panic and anxiety

From telling panic apart from anxiety to understanding it to deciding about care.

  1. ShrinktionaryLearn the difference between a panic attack and an anxiety attack.
  2. ShrinkopediaRead a full overview of panic disorder as a condition.
  3. AnxietyResourceSee what panic does to your nervous system.
  4. AnxietyResearchRead what the evidence says about treating panic disorder.
  5. UnstuckTry an in-the-moment tool to steady yourself.
  6. shrinkMDConsider a panic reset with psychiatric care.

Start this pathway →

OCD and intrusive thoughts

From naming an intrusive thought to seeing the pattern to deciding about care.

  1. ShrinktionaryName what an intrusive thought actually is.
  2. ShrinkopediaRead how intrusive thoughts show up as a symptom.
  3. ShrinkopediaRead the full overview of OCD as a condition.
  4. ShrinkopediaSee the OCD hub with related conditions and treatments.
  5. AnxietyResourceUnderstand what OCD looks like day to day.
  6. shrinQWork with the reassurance loop as a pattern.
  7. shrinkMDTalk with a psychiatrist about OCD care.

Start this pathway →

Sleep

From naming the trouble to reading the evidence to a next step.

  1. ShrinktionaryName what insomnia is in plain language.
  2. ShrinkopediaRead how sleep trouble shows up as a symptom.
  3. ShrinkopediaUnderstand insomnia disorder as a condition.
  4. ShrinkopediaSee the sleep hub with related conditions and treatments.
  5. shrinkDailyRead the daily concept on sleep hygiene.
  6. UnstuckUse a wind-down tool for a difficult night.
  7. shrinkMDTalk with a psychiatrist about persistent sleep problems.

Start this pathway →

Clinician and trainee

For psychiatrists, residents, medical students, and clinicians in adjacent fields. From the language of the profession to how it operates to the practical resources.

  1. ShrinktionaryStart with the vocabulary that clinicians and patients hear differently.
  2. shrinkiatryOpen the Psychiatry Operating Room, twelve rooms that map how the profession actually works.
  3. shrinkiatryRead the Decoder, the questions patients actually ask (short appointments, insurance, controlled substances).
  4. shrinkiatryReview the ethics: Tarasoff, duty to protect, mandatory reporting, capacity and consent.
  5. shrinkiatrySee how residency and board certification actually work.
  6. shrinkiatryGrab the 35+ clinician resources: intake forms, consent, HIPAA, coding, credentialing.
  7. ToolkitUse the CPT quick reference for E/M levels, psychotherapy, add-ons, and Medicare codes.
  8. Shariq RefaiRead long-form essays on treatment resistance and the realities of clinical work.

Start this pathway →