How I Overcame "Treatment-Resistant" Mental Illness: Laura Delano’s Journey

Can you safely taper off psychiatric medications? And what are the potential harms of long-term psychiatric care?

Laura Delano spent years as a professional patient, navigating psychiatric diagnoses, multiple medications, and a life defined by treatment.

In this interview, Laura discusses her 13-year experience as a psychiatric patient, the impact of long-term medication use, and how she took control of her health to successfully taper off multiple psychiatric drugs.

Now, as the founder of Inner Compass Initiative and author of Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance (available March 18, 2025), she’s dedicated to helping others navigate informed choices about psychiatric medications, diagnoses, and withdrawal.

💡 In this episode, we cover:

✅ Laura’s personal story of polypharmacy and its effects

✅ The impact of long-term psychiatric medication

✅ The challenges of tapering and withdrawal

✅ How Laura has rebuilt her life beyond medications

✅ How Laura built a nonprofit to support others on the same path

✅ The role of diet, lifestyle, and community in mental health recovery

✅ Why informed consent is crucial for psychiatric treatment decisions

✅ The mission of Inner Compass Initiative

Laura’s new book Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance is available March 18, 2025.

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This conversation includes discussion of suicidality and a suicide attempt. Please take care when watching.

#MentalHealth #Psychiatry #Deprescribing #PsychiatricMedication #Tapering #MetabolicPsychiatry

Expert Featured:

Laura Delano

Resources Mentioned:

Inner Compass Initiative

• https://www.theinnercompass.org/

Laura’a New Book: Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance

• https://www.amazon.com/Unshrunk-Story-Psychiatric-Treatment-Resistance/dp/1984880489

The Challenges of Going off Psychiatric Drugs

• https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/04/08/the-challenge-of-going-off-psychiatric-drugs

CMEs Mentioned:

Managing Major Mental Illness with Dietary Change: The New Science of Hope

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/managing-major-mental-illness-with-dietary-change-9616

Brain Energy: The Metabolic Theory of Mental Illness

• https://www.mycme.com/courses/brain-energy-the-metabolic-theory-of-mental-illness-9615

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Learn more about metabolic psychiatry and find helpful resources at https://metabolicmind.org/

About us:Metabolic Mind is a non-profit initiative of Baszucki Group working to transform the study and treatment of mental disorders by exploring the connection between metabolism and brain health. We leverage the science of metabolic psychiatry and personal stories to offer education, community, and hope to people struggling with mental health challenges and those who care for them.

Our channel is for informational purposes only. We are not providing individual or group medical or healthcare advice nor establishing a provider-patient relationship. Many of the interventions we discuss can have dramatic or potentially dangerous effects if done without proper supervision. Consult your healthcare provider before changing your lifestyle or medications.