Topics we need.
35 specific bounded questions on existing Shrinkopedia concept pages where a qualified expert perspective would strengthen the entry. Pick one that sits within your expertise and email [email protected]. The full program description, including eligibility and what you receive in return, is on the contribute page.
Curated list, updated as questions are filled. Last updated July 24, 2026.
Not on this list? If you have expertise on a Shrinkopedia concept and there is a question you think the entry does not answer well, email us the question along with the concept URL. The list below is what we are actively seeking; it is not the only thing we will publish.
Anxiety and panic
Psychiatrists, doctoral clinical psychologists with CBT training, PMHNPs with anxiety-disorder practice focus.
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"What specifically breaks the panic cycle in successful CBT for panic, and why is it so counterintuitive for patients?"
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"Why does reassurance-seeking feel like it should help GAD but make it worse over time?"
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"What is the clinical distinction between vigilant self-monitoring that is protective and the reassurance-seeking pattern that maintains health anxiety?"
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"Why do people with social anxiety often improve dramatically with structured exposure but resist starting it?"
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"How does agoraphobia typically grow out of panic disorder, and what does that mean for treatment sequencing?"
Mood disorders
Psychiatrists (general adult and bipolar-specialty), doctoral psychologists with mood-disorder practice, psychiatric pharmacists.
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"What tends to differentiate a treatment-resistant depression that will respond to a switch from one that needs augmentation?"
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"Why is behavioral activation often as effective as CBT for depression, and what does that tell us about mechanism?"
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"What early-warning signs of a manic episode are most useful for patients and families to track, and how should tracking be done?"
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"Why does the timing of screening matter so much for postpartum depression, and where does current screening fall short?"
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"Why is persistent depressive disorder often under-recognized, and what changes when a chronic low-grade depression finally gets treated?"
Trauma and stress-related
Trauma-focused clinicians (PhD/PsyD/MD), PTSD specialists, VA psychiatrists, EMDR-certified clinicians.
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"What actually happens neurobiologically during trauma-focused therapy that lets a traumatic memory finally be filed away?"
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"Why does complex PTSD often require a phased treatment approach, and what does the stabilization phase actually look like?"
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"Where do clinicians most often get the differential between complex PTSD and borderline personality disorder wrong?"
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"Which acute stress disorder cases do and do not progress to PTSD, and what does that mean for early intervention?"
OCD, OCPD, and related
OCD specialists (ERP-trained), clinical psychologists in OCD practice, psychiatrists with obsessive-compulsive spectrum focus.
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"Why does thought suppression fail so reliably in OCD, and what does that tell patients about how to relate to intrusive thoughts?"
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"When a patient is convinced they have OCD but the picture actually fits OCPD, what makes the clinical conversation most useful?"
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"Why do BDD patients so often seek cosmetic procedures instead of psychiatric care, and what does effective outreach look like?"
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"Why does hoarding often not respond to standard OCD treatments, and what actually helps?"
Neurodevelopmental
Adult ADHD specialists, autism assessment clinicians, developmental pediatricians for age-specific angles.
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"What do adults newly diagnosed with ADHD most often need help understanding about stimulant medication?"
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"In an adult presenting with both, what history questions most reliably clarify which condition is driving which symptom?"
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"How does adult autism diagnosis change what a patient can access, and what should a new diagnosis actually open up practically?"
Personality disorders
DBT-trained clinicians, MBT-trained clinicians, psychodynamic therapists with personality-disorder practice.
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"What specifically about DBT skills reduces self-harm behavior, and why does the mechanism matter for how skills should be taught?"
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"How do experienced clinicians tell the difference in a first encounter, and what warrants a second opinion?"
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"What makes vulnerable narcissism harder to recognize than grandiose narcissism, and why does that matter for treatment engagement?"
Psychotic disorders
Early-psychosis clinicians, coordinated-specialty-care team leads, community psychiatrists.
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"What early-intervention services (like coordinated specialty care) actually change about long-term outcome, and why?"
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"Why is postpartum psychosis a medical emergency that needs a different response than postpartum depression, and where does recognition still fail?"
Substance use
Addiction psychiatrists, addiction medicine physicians, PhDs with substance-use research focus.
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"Why are FDA-approved medications for alcohol use disorder so under-prescribed, and what would change that?"
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"What still gets in the way of medication-for-opioid-use-disorder access, even after buprenorphine deregulation?"
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"What has changed about cannabis use disorder presentations in the last decade of legalization, and what treatments actually work?"
Medication and pharmacotherapy
Psychiatric pharmacists (BCPP), reproductive psychiatrists, geriatric psychiatrists.
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"What do patients most often need to know about SSRI discontinuation that they are not told at prescription time?"
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"Why is lithium still first-line for bipolar disorder despite being the oldest option, and what makes clinicians reluctant to start it?"
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"When is short-term benzodiazepine use genuinely appropriate, and how should the conversation about stopping look from day one?"
Concepts and mechanisms
Doctoral psychologists, cognitive scientists, neuroscience-trained psychiatrists.
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"Why is rumination so much harder to stop than deliberate problem-solving that looks similar from the outside?"
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"Which cognitive distortions are most and least responsive to labeling, and what does that tell us about how to teach CBT skills?"
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"What is the practical difference between suppression, reappraisal, and acceptance as emotion-regulation strategies, and when is each appropriate?"
See something you can answer?
Email [email protected] with the concept, the question, and a link to your institutional or professional profile. Full submission checklist is on the contribute page.