Relationships and financial disclosure

Last updated: May 2026.

Ownership and founding

Here's what you should know about who's writing this and what they get paid for. shrinQ is owned and operated by shrinkMD Publishing LLC, a Florida company I founded. I'm Dr. Shariq Refai, a board-certified psychiatrist. shrinQ is one of several independent mental health properties that are part of The Shrink Network (opens in a new tab).

Relationship with shrinkMD

shrinkMD is my clinical practice. It's separate. If you're a shrinkMD patient, you didn't sign up to be marketed to. shrinQ and shrinkMD are operated separately. shrinQ is education, not therapy, diagnosis, treatment, crisis care, or medical advice, and using shrinQ does not create a doctor-patient relationship with me or with shrinkMD. Where shrinkMD is mentioned on this site, it's for context and transparency, not as a solicitation for clinical services.

The Shrink Network (opens in a new tab)

The Shrink Network (opens in a new tab) is the front door that introduces a group of related but separately operated properties, including educational resources, wellness tools, clinical care, and publishing. Each property has its own purpose and its own boundaries. One is never a substitute for another.

shrinQ is a commercial educational product

I want to be plain about this. shrinQ is a commercial educational product. It's something I sell, and it's meant to teach, not to treat. Calling it educational doesn't mean it's free, and calling it commercial doesn't mean it's clinical care. Both things are true at once: shrinQ earns revenue, and shrinQ is education rather than therapy, diagnosis, treatment, crisis care, or medical advice.

How shrinQ makes money

shrinQ is funded through the sale of its paid educational program. I do not sell your personal information. The site does not run third-party advertising, and content is not sponsored by outside companies. I do not accept payment from pharmaceutical companies or device makers to feature, recommend, or shape content.

Financial relationships I disclose

I think disclosure is more useful than pretending no one has financial interests. Because I'm both the founder and the medical reviewer here, it matters that you can see where my financial interests sit. These are the relationships worth naming:

• This shrinQ product. shrinQ is a paid educational program, and its sales fund the work. I have a direct financial interest in it.
• My shrinkMD practice. shrinkMD is my separate clinical practice. It's operated apart from shrinQ, and it's a separate source of income.
• My books. I've written books, and I earn from their sales. Where a book is mentioned on this site, it's for context, not as a hidden pitch.

The editorial firewall

There's a firewall between the commercial side of shrinQ and the educational content itself. What the content says is decided on the basis of the evidence-informed process in my evidence methodology and the oversight described in my medical review board. Sales and marketing goals don't get to override accuracy. An educational page never softens a fact, overstates a benefit, or omits a caveat in order to help the product sell. If those two interests ever pull in different directions, accuracy wins, and the page is written to reflect the evidence rather than the sale.

Editorial independence

Decisions about what the educational content says are made on the basis of the evidence-informed process described in my evidence methodology, not on the basis of commercial relationships. If a financial relationship ever could reasonably be seen to affect content, I will disclose it here.

Affiliate links and products

If I ever include affiliate links or recommend a paid product from which I earn a commission, I will say so clearly at the point where the link or recommendation appears. At present, the only paid product is the shrinQ program itself.

See also: Medical review board, Evidence methodology, Privacy policy.