Prescription for Insanity: Laura Delano on DarkHorse
Mar 18, 2025
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Laura Delano, author of 'Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance,' shares her poignant journey through the psychiatric system. She challenges the conventional belief in chemical imbalances and questions the current mental health paradigms. Delano discusses her struggle with psychiatric medications and the slow path to healing through self-discovery. Emphasizing the power of community support and informed choices, she advocates for a more compassionate approach in mental health treatment, aiming to empower individuals on their journey to recovery.
Laura Delano's decades-long struggle with misdiagnosis illustrates the dangers of labeling youth as mentally ill, fostering dependency on medication.
Her experience highlights the urgent need for informed consent in mental health treatment, emphasizing transparency about the potential risks of psychiatric drugs.
Delano advocates for viewing mental distress as a natural response to societal pressures rather than solely a biochemical imbalance requiring medication.
Community support and shared experiences significantly aid recovery, demonstrating the importance of connection in overcoming mental health challenges.
Deep dives
The Impact of Psychiatric Labels
Laura Delano's experience with the psychiatric industry began at age 14 when she was mistakenly diagnosed with bipolar disorder after exhibiting symptoms of anger and self-harm. This diagnosis, which she initially rejected, profoundly influenced her journey through the mental health system for over a decade. Throughout her high school and college years, she grappled with the implications of this label, ultimately buying into the belief that her struggles were a product of her so-called mental illness. This journey highlights the dangers of labeling young individuals as mentally ill, as it can lead to a cycle of dependency on medication and a disconnection from their true selves.
Cultural Pressures and Personal Crisis
Growing up in a high-pressure environment in Greenwich, Connecticut, Laura felt immense societal expectations to succeed, which contributed to her existential crisis at a young age. Her realization that she was performing for others rather than discovering her authentic self led to deep feelings of despair. This moment of crisis, rather than being understood as a natural reaction to a misaligned culture, was medicalized, resulting in a diagnosis that she instinctively knew was unfounded. Laura reflects on how this misdiagnosis not only disconnected her from her true nature but also set her on a path of long-term psychological treatment that ultimately made her feel worse.
The Dangers of Medication Overprescription
Laura's journey through the mental health system involved multiple medications, including anti-depressants and mood stabilizers, which she later learned had profound negative effects on her overall well-being. The early 1990s saw a surge in diagnoses of bipolar disorder in children and adolescents, often resulting in overprescription of powerful psychiatric drugs. Despite initially avoiding medication in high school, she eventually succumbed to psychiatric pressure to take drugs that were purported to 'help' her condition. This highlights the pervasive issue of rapidly expanding pharmaceutical markets that capitalize on societal fears surrounding mental health, often without substantial long-term efficacy data to support their use.
Challenging the Medical Model
Through her experiences, Laura became acutely aware of the medical model's failure to address the broader context of mental health issues. She emphasizes the importance of recognizing emotional pain and distress as natural responses to societal pressures rather than pathologies that require medical intervention. The language surrounding these diagnoses and treatments often reinforces a narrative that can disempower individuals. By rethinking mental health through an evolutionary lens, Laura advocates for a shift away from viewing mental distress as purely a biochemical issue and towards understanding it as a meaningful reaction to lived experiences.
Iatrogenic Harm and Recovery
Laura discusses the concept of iatrogenic harm, referring to injuries or adverse effects caused by medical treatment, particularly in relation to psychiatric drugs. Her own journey involved experiencing severe withdrawal symptoms after attempting to come off her medications too quickly, which she learned the hard way by not having adequate support. This topic emphasizes the need for a more nuanced understanding of the impact of prescribed treatments, as patients may find themselves worse off in the long term. Laura found that taking a slow, informed approach to tapering off her medications was key to her recovery and self-discovery.
The Importance of Informed Consent
The podcast emphasizes the critical need for informed consent within mental health treatment, especially regarding the use of psychiatric drugs. Laura advocates for transparency in discussing the potential risks and long-term impacts of medication, which can often be overlooked. She argues that patients should be provided with comprehensive information before making decisions about their treatment plans. This informed consent includes understanding the possible side effects and dependence that can arise from medications, leading to more empowered choices in their mental health journey.
Community Support and Shared Experiences
Laura highlights the value of community and shared experiences in the recovery process from mental health challenges. By joining groups that focus on the experiences of those who have gone through similar struggles, individuals can find solidarity and support that is often lacking in traditional therapeutic settings. This shift from individual therapy to community-based support encourages open dialogue and reduces feelings of isolation. Laura's involvement in the Intercompass Initiative exemplifies how peer support can facilitate healing and reclaim agency over one’s mental health.
Redefining Relationships Post-Pharma
Laura's relationship with her husband, Cooper, serves as an example of how individuals can form meaningful connections after undergoing traumatic experiences with the mental health system. Both having navigated the challenges of psychiatric treatment, they have cultivated a partnership built on understanding, resilience, and shared growth. Their relationship showcases the potential for healing that can arise from vulnerability, authenticity, and the exploration of emotional pain together. By creating a safe space for each other, they demonstrate how love and companionship can thrive, even in the wake of complex personal histories.
Bret Weinstein speaks with Laura Delano, the author of “Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance” on the subject of today’s mental health treatment and psychotropic medications.
Find Laura Delano on X at https://x.com/LauraDelano and her book, “Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance” at https://unshrunkthebook.com.
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Theme Music: Thank you to Martin Molin of Wintergatan for providing us the rights to use their excellent music.
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Mentioned in this episode:
- The Challenge of Going Off Psychiatric Drugs https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/04/08/the-challenge-of-going-off-psychiatric-drugs
- A Hunter-Gatherer’s Guide to the 21st Century https://amzn.to/3AGANGg (commission earned)
