Evidence Standards

ShrinkDaily exists to make the science of human functioning usable, which only works if we're honest about how solid each piece of it is. Every concept carries an evidence label so nothing reads as more settled than it is. We would rather tell you something is still developing than dress it up as fact.

The evidence labels

Each concept gets one of these, and the label is part of the concept, not a footnote:

• Strong: well-established, extensively studied constructs with a deep and consistent research base.
• Emerging or mixed: real and useful, but still developing, debated, or supported by findings that don't fully agree yet.
• Educational model: a branded teaching model that organizes established science into a memorable shape. It makes no independent scientific claim of its own, and we say so plainly.
• Established: a recognized concept, medically reviewed and published, presented plainly without overstating how strong the evidence is.

How we handle sources

We attach a verifiable source attribution where the originating work is unambiguous, and we name the landmark research or authoritative body behind a concept when one clearly exists, including the APA, the NIMH, the DSM-5-TR, Cochrane, and MedlinePlus. Where a concept doesn't map to one clean citation, we name the authoritative bodies behind it rather than inventing a specific reference. Made-up citations are worse than naming the field's sources, so we never fabricate one.

What we'll not do

We don't fabricate studies, invent statistics, or imply certainty we don't have. We avoid words like cure, guarantee, and always. We use careful language, such as may, can, and often, because that's how the evidence actually reads. If a claim would need a citation we can't stand behind, we soften the claim instead of faking the support.

Updates and corrections

Because every concept exists once as a canonical object, a correction improves the whole site at once. When the evidence moves, we update the object and its label, and everything that points to it updates too. Evidence standards are a living practice, not a one-time check.

Clinical boundaries

Clinically sensitive topics carry expanded disclaimers and route directly to crisis resources. ShrinkDaily is educational and isn't a substitute for evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment by a licensed clinician. The evidence label tells you how settled an idea is; it never tells you what to do about your own health. That conversation belongs with your clinician.

Last reviewed July 13, 2026 by Shariq Refai, MD, MBA. We review every page on this site each quarter, including the legal and safety pages.