Founder of Unstuck and shrinkMD. Medical editor of AnxietyResource.org and DepressionResource.org. Board-certified psychiatrist. Author of three forthcoming books on overthinking and anxiety.
Background
Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, FAPA is a board-certified psychiatrist based in Jacksonville, Florida. He holds dual board certifications in psychiatry and sports/performance psychiatry, an MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business, an MD from St. George's University School of Medicine, and additional certificates in Electroconvulsive Therapy and Obesity Medicine from Columbia University. He completed psychiatry residency training at the University of Hawaii and at John Peter Smith Hospital.
Before medical school, he worked nights as a psychiatric technician while attending the University of North Florida. He talks often about that experience as the thing that shaped his philosophy of mental health access. The short version: mental illness does not discriminate by income, profession, status, or background.
What he does
He runs shrinkMD, an independent multistate telepsychiatry practice he founded after concluding that a lot of digital psychiatry models were not delivering the continuity, follow-up, and clinical rigor he would recommend to his own family. shrinkMD is built around adult outpatient psychiatry, evaluation, medication management, and continuity with the same clinician.
He created Unstuck as a separate, non-clinical wellness app for the small mental hours that fall between bigger problems. Unstuck is not therapy. It is not medical care. It is a quiet place on your phone for journaling, reminders, check-ins, and short reset tools. Unstuck and shrinkMD share a founder, but they are separate companies. Unstuck is not a clinical service of shrinkMD.
He is the medical editor for AnxietyResource.org and DepressionResource.org, two long-form editorial publications on anxiety and depression written in plain English for the general public. His role on those sites is editorial review for clinical accuracy. Every article carries his sign-off.
He is the author of three forthcoming books:
- Your Mind Is Full of Sh*t: A Psychiatrist's Guide to Understanding Overthinking, Anxiety, and the Lies in Your Head
- Your Mind Is Full of Sh*t: The Workbook: A Psychiatrist's Companion Guide for Noticing Your Own Patterns
- The Havoc in Your Head: A Psychiatrist's Reset for Anxiety, Overthinking, Panic, and the Thoughts That Won't Let Go
The books are published under shrinkMD Publishing LLC, the imprint behind his educational books and mental health content.
What he writes and talks about
He writes and talks about anxiety, overthinking, panic, and emotional awareness, and about the shape of modern psychiatric care and public mental health education. The pattern across most of his work: mental suffering is usually compounded by shame, misunderstanding, and systems that incorrectly convince people they are the problem. The goal is a more humane and accessible public conversation about mental health.
His role at Unstuck
He is the founder, the product lead, and the medical reviewer for the editorial content on the Unstuck Journal. He reviews every article before it ships for clinical accuracy. He does not provide clinical care through the app. Using Unstuck does not create a doctor-patient, therapist-client, or any other clinical relationship with Shariq Refai, MD, shrinkMD, or anyone associated with Unstuck.
Where to find him
- Personal site: shariqrefai.com
- Practice: shrinkmd.com
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/shariqrefai
- Editorial: AnxietyResource.org and DepressionResource.org
Press and inquiries
For press, podcast, panel, and media inquiries, email support@beunstuck.app with "Press: [outlet name]" in the subject. Brand kit, headshot, and bio are available on request.
Editorial role. Shariq is the medical editor for the Unstuck Journal. He reviews every article on the Journal for clinical accuracy. He is not the sole author of every article. See the editorial policy for the byline, review, and citation standards used across the site.