How we make content

Shrinkopedia is built to be a long-term, trustworthy reference. The standard below is applied to every page on the site.

Sourcing

Every factual and clinical claim is tied to a named, authoritative source. Preferred sources are the DSM-5-TR, the National Institute of Mental Health, the World Health Organization, MedlinePlus, peer-reviewed studies indexed in PubMed, Cochrane reviews, and clinical practice guidelines from the American Psychiatric Association and NICE.

References are listed at the foot of each page with full citations and links, and they are cited inline in the body of the page.

Clinical review

Pages are reviewed by clinicians before publication, and the review is real. A page does not carry a review date until it has actually been reviewed. Until then, it shows "Review pending." The review is led by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA, a board-certified psychiatrist.

Evidence strength

Each page shows an evidence-strength indicator that reflects how well established the page's main claims are.

• Strong: supported by multiple high-quality studies, systematic reviews, or clinical guidelines that agree.
• Mixed: the literature is divided, the evidence is early, or important questions are unsettled.
• Limited: only small studies, indirect evidence, or expert opinion are available; treat the claim as provisional.

Conflicts of interest

The medical editor is the founder of shrinkMD, an independent multistate telepsychiatry practice, and the founder of shrinkMD Publishing. This is disclosed across the site. Shrinkopedia does not accept advertising, does not sell products, and is not used as a lead-generation channel for any clinical service or product.

Corrections and updates

Pages are updated when the evidence changes, when an error is found, or when a guideline is revised. The last-reviewed date is updated with the change. Substantive corrections are noted on the page.