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Laura Delano

@LauraDelano • 11,576 subscribers

Founder @_innercompass. Author of Unshrunk. Working to build safe off-ramps from the psych med highway.

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1/ A compelling piece by Matt Bivens, MD published by Matt Taibbi in Racket reveals how Purdue Pharma ran literal marketing sessions about using "empowerment" to sell OxyContin to women. Their internal notes said to "let women educate women in their natural settings"—Tupperware parties, garden groups, e-cards. They weren't subtle about it.

1/ A compelling piece by Matt Bivens, MD published by Matt Taibbi in Racket reveals how Purdue Pharma ran literal marketing sessions about using "empowerment" to sell OxyContin to women. Their internal notes said to "let women educate women in their natural settings"—Tupperware parties, garden groups, e-cards. They weren't subtle about it.

14,143 Aufrufe

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“Imagine if Taylor Swift would have been put on an SSRI as a teenager.” “The reason her music is so good is because you feel her intense lows and her super high highs.” “We would not have Taylor Swift if she would’ve been medicalized.” Alex Clark raises a question that cuts to the heart of medicalization. How many gifted, creative, deeply feeling young people have we taught to see their emotional intensity as a disorder rather than part of what makes them who they are? When we medicalize pain, sadness, grief, and struggle, we risk losing something beautiful about the human experience itself. Alex Clark

“Imagine if Taylor Swift would have been put on an SSRI as a teenager.” “The reason her music is so good is because you feel her intense lows and her super high highs.” “We would not have Taylor Swift if she would’ve been medicalized.” Alex Clark raises a question that cuts to the heart of medicalization. How many gifted, creative, deeply feeling young people have we taught to see their emotional intensity as a disorder rather than part of what makes them who they are? When we medicalize pain, sadness, grief, and struggle, we risk losing something beautiful about the human experience itself. Alex Clark

56,104 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat

People often say my story is a story of misdiagnosis. It is not. My story is a story of the American mental health system working exactly as intended. What changed is that I stopped interpreting my thoughts, emotions, and struggles through a medicalized lens. That shift transformed my life. One of the most liberating realizations I had after leaving the medicalized psychiatric system is that the purpose of life is not constant happiness or the absence of pain, but connection, meaning, and purpose. Life can be painful, and struggle is inevitable — but I no longer fear emotional pain or automatically translate it into pathology. Thank you to Secretary Kennedy for having this conversation with me on his podcast.

People often say my story is a story of misdiagnosis. It is not. My story is a story of the American mental health system working exactly as intended. What changed is that I stopped interpreting my thoughts, emotions, and struggles through a medicalized lens. That shift transformed my life. One of the most liberating realizations I had after leaving the medicalized psychiatric system is that the purpose of life is not constant happiness or the absence of pain, but connection, meaning, and purpose. Life can be painful, and struggle is inevitable — but I no longer fear emotional pain or automatically translate it into pathology. Thank you to Secretary Kennedy for having this conversation with me on his podcast.

81,289 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten

In 16 years of doing this work, I have never told anyone to stop taking their psychiatric medication. I do not know what is right for another person, and I have never claimed to. I share my story, basic facts about the mental health industry, and why informed choice matters. Here’s the problem: Most people never get to make a true choice regarding psychiatric diagnoses or treatments. They aren’t told about the unscientific underpinnings of the DSM, the comprehensive list of risks that come with taking psychiatric drugs, how absent their long-term safety and efficacy data is, or how hard it can be to get off them. Without that as a starting point, informed choice is impossible. Dr. Josef

In 16 years of doing this work, I have never told anyone to stop taking their psychiatric medication. I do not know what is right for another person, and I have never claimed to. I share my story, basic facts about the mental health industry, and why informed choice matters. Here’s the problem: Most people never get to make a true choice regarding psychiatric diagnoses or treatments. They aren’t told about the unscientific underpinnings of the DSM, the comprehensive list of risks that come with taking psychiatric drugs, how absent their long-term safety and efficacy data is, or how hard it can be to get off them. Without that as a starting point, informed choice is impossible. Dr. Josef

17,772 Aufrufe • vor 18 Tagen

When someone becomes suicidal, our culture often responds with panic. We rush to medicate, hospitalize, and contain them before taking the time to truly listen to what they are trying to say. Many people in that state do not need immediate silencing. They need someone willing to sit with them and hear the depth of their pain without fear. They need space to speak honestly about why life feels unbearable and why death feels appealing in that moment. When those conversations are shut down too quickly, the isolation and despair they already feel can grow even deeper. Sometimes, genuine human connection can reach people in ways that force, panic, and medication cannot. Jan Jekielek American Thought Leaders 🇺🇸 with @JanJekielek

When someone becomes suicidal, our culture often responds with panic. We rush to medicate, hospitalize, and contain them before taking the time to truly listen to what they are trying to say. Many people in that state do not need immediate silencing. They need someone willing to sit with them and hear the depth of their pain without fear. They need space to speak honestly about why life feels unbearable and why death feels appealing in that moment. When those conversations are shut down too quickly, the isolation and despair they already feel can grow even deeper. Sometimes, genuine human connection can reach people in ways that force, panic, and medication cannot. Jan Jekielek American Thought Leaders 🇺🇸 with @JanJekielek

23,498 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat

The pharmaceutical industry exploited a very important message about suffering. The message started as “there is no shame in talking about pain.” Then industry influence helped turn it into “there is no shame in getting treatment.” We *should* feel like we can talk about our struggles and seek help when needed, but instead of addressing all the reasons why we’re suffering – reasons rooted in relationships, socioeconomic circumstances, political issues, lifestyle, stress… the list goes on ad infinitum – we’re taught that pills are the only valid response to our emotional, mental, and spiritual pain. @mikhailapeterson

The pharmaceutical industry exploited a very important message about suffering. The message started as “there is no shame in talking about pain.” Then industry influence helped turn it into “there is no shame in getting treatment.” We should feel like we can talk about our struggles and seek help when needed, but instead of addressing all the reasons why we’re suffering – reasons rooted in relationships, socioeconomic circumstances, political issues, lifestyle, stress… the list goes on ad infinitum – we’re taught that pills are the only valid response to our emotional, mental, and spiritual pain. @mikhailapeterson

26,096 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten

The term “side effect” is a marketing term. It trains people to view adverse effects as minor inconveniences instead of recognizing them as direct effects of taking a prescribed drug. When a drug causes weight gain, sexual dysfunction, emotional numbing, or withdrawal, those are primary effects. To make true choices about whether to start or stop a psychiatric drug, we need to be able to think with straightforward, honest language. This isn’t possible when marketing departments of drug companies distort our capacity to meaningfully understand the potential adverse effects of these drugs.

The term “side effect” is a marketing term. It trains people to view adverse effects as minor inconveniences instead of recognizing them as direct effects of taking a prescribed drug. When a drug causes weight gain, sexual dysfunction, emotional numbing, or withdrawal, those are primary effects. To make true choices about whether to start or stop a psychiatric drug, we need to be able to think with straightforward, honest language. This isn’t possible when marketing departments of drug companies distort our capacity to meaningfully understand the potential adverse effects of these drugs.

15,437 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat

In the 90s and early 2000s, people talked far less about their so-called “mental health.” We were told the problem was “stigma” and that we should focus on increasing “mental health awareness” to fight it– which would, in turn, lessen rates of suffering. Today,” conversations about “mental health” are everywhere and access to treatment has never been higher. Yet more people are anxious, depressed, and unhappy than ever before. That should make us rethink the direction we have taken. DoctorTro Brian Lenzkes, MD

In the 90s and early 2000s, people talked far less about their so-called “mental health.” We were told the problem was “stigma” and that we should focus on increasing “mental health awareness” to fight it– which would, in turn, lessen rates of suffering. Today,” conversations about “mental health” are everywhere and access to treatment has never been higher. Yet more people are anxious, depressed, and unhappy than ever before. That should make us rethink the direction we have taken. DoctorTro Brian Lenzkes, MD

12,216 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat

I grew up trusting medical authority without questioning it. For years, I believed doctors understood my mind, my body, and my struggles better than I understood them myself. That belief kept me in the psychiatric system for nearly 15 years. We live in a culture that places medical authority on a pedestal while teaching people to interpret more and more of life through a medicalized lens. Doctors may bring years of training and good intentions to their work, but the expertise born of a clinical degree is one kind of many, and isn’t by default the source of all our answers. Dr. Josef

I grew up trusting medical authority without questioning it. For years, I believed doctors understood my mind, my body, and my struggles better than I understood them myself. That belief kept me in the psychiatric system for nearly 15 years. We live in a culture that places medical authority on a pedestal while teaching people to interpret more and more of life through a medicalized lens. Doctors may bring years of training and good intentions to their work, but the expertise born of a clinical degree is one kind of many, and isn’t by default the source of all our answers. Dr. Josef

11,621 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat

We have medicalized everyday life, and millions of people are living with the consequences. What we are facing is not a fringe issue and it is not confined to any one group. This medicalization crisis touches people across every background, every community, and every political belief. There are forces that benefit from keeping this conversation divided. They frame it as Patient vs Doctor, Science vs. Skepticism, Pro-medication vs. Anti-Medication, Right versus Left. That framing keeps us stuck. It turns a shared problem into opposing sides and prevents the kind of honest conversation this moment requires. This should not be a war. It should be a place where people can come together with humility, curiosity, and a willingness to listen. While we all have vastly different experiences with the benefits and harms of psychiatric diagnoses and medications, we have far more in common with one another than we are often led to believe. We owe it to the millions of Americans currently taking these medications to create reliable, accessible, safe pathways forward for those who want or need to come off them. We owe it to them to build what should have existed all along. We also owe it to our children to model a different way of understanding what it means to be human. Emotional pain is not necessarily a failure of the body requiring correction. It is part of being alive. And meaningful help can take many forms beyond a prescription. We are finally uniting around this simple truth. May we rise above the forces who seek to convince us we are each other’s enemies, and move forward, together, from a place of compassion and understanding.

We have medicalized everyday life, and millions of people are living with the consequences. What we are facing is not a fringe issue and it is not confined to any one group. This medicalization crisis touches people across every background, every community, and every political belief. There are forces that benefit from keeping this conversation divided. They frame it as Patient vs Doctor, Science vs. Skepticism, Pro-medication vs. Anti-Medication, Right versus Left. That framing keeps us stuck. It turns a shared problem into opposing sides and prevents the kind of honest conversation this moment requires. This should not be a war. It should be a place where people can come together with humility, curiosity, and a willingness to listen. While we all have vastly different experiences with the benefits and harms of psychiatric diagnoses and medications, we have far more in common with one another than we are often led to believe. We owe it to the millions of Americans currently taking these medications to create reliable, accessible, safe pathways forward for those who want or need to come off them. We owe it to them to build what should have existed all along. We also owe it to our children to model a different way of understanding what it means to be human. Emotional pain is not necessarily a failure of the body requiring correction. It is part of being alive. And meaningful help can take many forms beyond a prescription. We are finally uniting around this simple truth. May we rise above the forces who seek to convince us we are each other’s enemies, and move forward, together, from a place of compassion and understanding.

25,357 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten

People often ask me how long it took to heal after coming off SSRIs and other psych meds. The truth is that I am still healing. During my first year of medication withdrawal, brushing my teeth and taking a shower felt like major accomplishments. A few years later, I finally started to feel present in my own life again and began reconnecting with who I was beneath the diagnoses, medications, and medicalized story I had carried for so long. Recovering from psychiatrization has not given me a life free of struggle. It’s given me the chance to discover a life full of meaning, purpose, and connection. Mikhaila Peterson

People often ask me how long it took to heal after coming off SSRIs and other psych meds. The truth is that I am still healing. During my first year of medication withdrawal, brushing my teeth and taking a shower felt like major accomplishments. A few years later, I finally started to feel present in my own life again and began reconnecting with who I was beneath the diagnoses, medications, and medicalized story I had carried for so long. Recovering from psychiatrization has not given me a life free of struggle. It’s given me the chance to discover a life full of meaning, purpose, and connection. Mikhaila Peterson

19,177 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten

RFK Jr. is not going to ban antidepressants. What he is doing is opening up a conversation that our culture has avoided for far too long. A conversation about informed choice. That means honest discussions around side effects, long term outcomes, and what happens when someone decides they no longer want to take these medications and needs support getting off of them safely. Last week, a video of Ella Emhoff speaking about her experience with antidepressants went viral. She described spending much of her life on these medications while never being given a clear path off of them. Her story resonated with people across the political spectrum because this issue reaches far beyond partisan politics. Many of us grew up believing that the way to feel seen and understood in our pain was through diagnosis and medication. Now more and more people are beginning to step back and ask whether this framework has truly helped us in the long term. Carl Higbie

RFK Jr. is not going to ban antidepressants. What he is doing is opening up a conversation that our culture has avoided for far too long. A conversation about informed choice. That means honest discussions around side effects, long term outcomes, and what happens when someone decides they no longer want to take these medications and needs support getting off of them safely. Last week, a video of Ella Emhoff speaking about her experience with antidepressants went viral. She described spending much of her life on these medications while never being given a clear path off of them. Her story resonated with people across the political spectrum because this issue reaches far beyond partisan politics. Many of us grew up believing that the way to feel seen and understood in our pain was through diagnosis and medication. Now more and more people are beginning to step back and ask whether this framework has truly helped us in the long term. Carl Higbie

23,540 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten

The average psychiatric drug trial submitted to the FDA lasts just 6 to 8 weeks. Yet many people remain on these medications for months, years, and sometimes decades. Most patients never hear this, and many assume that long-term prescribing means long-term safety and effectiveness have been established. I assumed that too for many years– until I realized how wrong I was. Michael Smerconish

The average psychiatric drug trial submitted to the FDA lasts just 6 to 8 weeks. Yet many people remain on these medications for months, years, and sometimes decades. Most patients never hear this, and many assume that long-term prescribing means long-term safety and effectiveness have been established. I assumed that too for many years– until I realized how wrong I was. Michael Smerconish

20,403 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten

Every psychiatric drug across every major drug class can create physical dependence. For many people, the body adapts to the presence of these drugs over time, which can make coming off them far more difficult than they’d ever expect. Some people need many months or even years of careful tapering to stop safely. Young women especially deserve clear information about this before starting these drugs, particularly during their childbearing years when these decisions can carry long term consequences. Women should not discover the realities of psychiatric medication dependence and withdrawal only after they are already trapped in an impossible choice between a medicated pregnancy with increased risks to them and their babies, or cold turkey withdrawal. That is not informed choice. Jan Jekielek American Thought Leaders 🇺🇸 with @JanJekielek

Every psychiatric drug across every major drug class can create physical dependence. For many people, the body adapts to the presence of these drugs over time, which can make coming off them far more difficult than they’d ever expect. Some people need many months or even years of careful tapering to stop safely. Young women especially deserve clear information about this before starting these drugs, particularly during their childbearing years when these decisions can carry long term consequences. Women should not discover the realities of psychiatric medication dependence and withdrawal only after they are already trapped in an impossible choice between a medicated pregnancy with increased risks to them and their babies, or cold turkey withdrawal. That is not informed choice. Jan Jekielek American Thought Leaders 🇺🇸 with @JanJekielek

12,595 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat

We treat psychiatric drugs like candy. You can see that in who writes most psychiatric prescriptions. Psychiatrists aren’t writing most of them. Primary care providers are. That means many of these drugs get prescribed during routine appointments by physicians who have even less of an understanding of the potential risks of long-term psychiatric drug use than psychiatrists do. Too often, someone walks into an annual checkup struggling with stress, grief, or anxiety and walks out with a prescription. These are powerful psychoactive chemicals that can profoundly alter how the brain and body function. After decades of drug advertising and cultural messaging, we’ve convinced ourselves every problem has a pill and every pill is worth the trade off.

We treat psychiatric drugs like candy. You can see that in who writes most psychiatric prescriptions. Psychiatrists aren’t writing most of them. Primary care providers are. That means many of these drugs get prescribed during routine appointments by physicians who have even less of an understanding of the potential risks of long-term psychiatric drug use than psychiatrists do. Too often, someone walks into an annual checkup struggling with stress, grief, or anxiety and walks out with a prescription. These are powerful psychoactive chemicals that can profoundly alter how the brain and body function. After decades of drug advertising and cultural messaging, we’ve convinced ourselves every problem has a pill and every pill is worth the trade off.

11,558 Aufrufe • vor 1 Monat

Secretary Kennedy: “If you are taking psychiatric medication, we’re not telling you to stop.” “We’re making sure that you and your clinician have the information and support to make the right decisions for you.” “That includes a safe, evidence based path to tapering and discontinuation when clinically appropriate.” Since I began speaking about my own experience with psych meds and the importance of slow, hyperbolic tapering, I have always said this is not about telling people to stop taking their medication. People have the right to make decisions for themselves based on their own needs, preferences, resources, and circumstances. Every situation is different. What matters most in this conversation is informed choice, most — if not all — of us have not been given what we need to make one, whether in regards to starting these medications or withdrawing from them. Without that information and support, “choice” is not fully a choice. These historic remarks from Secretary Kennedy mark a massive shift toward providing patients with the tools, guidance, and transparency they need to make truly informed decisions about their care.

Secretary Kennedy: “If you are taking psychiatric medication, we’re not telling you to stop.” “We’re making sure that you and your clinician have the information and support to make the right decisions for you.” “That includes a safe, evidence based path to tapering and discontinuation when clinically appropriate.” Since I began speaking about my own experience with psych meds and the importance of slow, hyperbolic tapering, I have always said this is not about telling people to stop taking their medication. People have the right to make decisions for themselves based on their own needs, preferences, resources, and circumstances. Every situation is different. What matters most in this conversation is informed choice, most — if not all — of us have not been given what we need to make one, whether in regards to starting these medications or withdrawing from them. Without that information and support, “choice” is not fully a choice. These historic remarks from Secretary Kennedy mark a massive shift toward providing patients with the tools, guidance, and transparency they need to make truly informed decisions about their care.

15,700 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten

“It’s about 17% of the population…on SSRIs.” “When they were tested and they got approval, there was an assumption that you would use them for maybe a couple of months to stabilize your life.” “Once you get on them, it is very difficult to get off.” “The withdrawal in some cases takes not weeks, not months, but years.” “We have directed [the] FDA now to put on the label protocols for withdrawal and warnings.” “I’m not telling people not to use psychiatric drugs.” RFK Jr. makes clear a few things in this clip: 1. He is not taking away anyone’s psychiatric drugs, despite how the media has portrayed him. 2. HHS is finally recognizing the seriousness of psychiatric drug withdrawal and the need for better informed consent around these drugs. Adam Carolla

“It’s about 17% of the population…on SSRIs.” “When they were tested and they got approval, there was an assumption that you would use them for maybe a couple of months to stabilize your life.” “Once you get on them, it is very difficult to get off.” “The withdrawal in some cases takes not weeks, not months, but years.” “We have directed [the] FDA now to put on the label protocols for withdrawal and warnings.” “I’m not telling people not to use psychiatric drugs.” RFK Jr. makes clear a few things in this clip: 1. He is not taking away anyone’s psychiatric drugs, despite how the media has portrayed him. 2. HHS is finally recognizing the seriousness of psychiatric drug withdrawal and the need for better informed consent around these drugs. Adam Carolla

13,941 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten

The mental health industry has a near monopoly on defining what it means to be human today. Which also means they have a near monopoly on what constitutes legitimate help. When someone spirals into emotional distress or an altered state, most families only see one visible path in front of them. The system leaves very little room to imagine forms of care beyond diagnosis, hospitalization, and psychiatric treatment. Bret Weinstein The DarkHorse Podcast

The mental health industry has a near monopoly on defining what it means to be human today. Which also means they have a near monopoly on what constitutes legitimate help. When someone spirals into emotional distress or an altered state, most families only see one visible path in front of them. The system leaves very little room to imagine forms of care beyond diagnosis, hospitalization, and psychiatric treatment. Bret Weinstein The DarkHorse Podcast

10,145 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten

We are living through a medicalization crisis that is reshaping how we understand ourselves and our lives. As a culture, we have normalized interpreting ordinary human experiences through a medical lens, often without recognizing what it costs us. I know how easy it is to internalize that framework because I once believed that medical authority meant someone else understood me better than I understood myself. I trusted that expertise extended not only to treatment, but to defining my own mind, body, and experience. When something did not improve, I did not question the model guiding my care. I assumed the problem was me, which led to new diagnoses, additional therapy, and more prescriptions. This is how the vicious cycle of medicalization takes hold: a closed-loop system that continually redirects both patients and clinicians back into the same explanatory framework. Once inside that framework, you start to lose touch with all the other ways to understand yourself and your experiences. Many people don’t even recognize this is happening at all, because they’ve been taught that questioning medical authority is irrational or even dangerous. It makes sense that, for them, stories like mine feel uncomfortable because they challenge these fundamental assumptions many people have long relied on. But acknowledging the harms of medicalization is not the same as rejecting medicine entirely. Medical interventions save lives and remain essential in countless situations, but not every human experience requires a diagnosis or a pharmaceutical response. I feel our culture awakening to all the ways that medicalizing emotional pain and pharmaceuticalizing all responses to it have done us a collective disservice. A tipping point is coming. Can you feel it? Dr. Josef

We are living through a medicalization crisis that is reshaping how we understand ourselves and our lives. As a culture, we have normalized interpreting ordinary human experiences through a medical lens, often without recognizing what it costs us. I know how easy it is to internalize that framework because I once believed that medical authority meant someone else understood me better than I understood myself. I trusted that expertise extended not only to treatment, but to defining my own mind, body, and experience. When something did not improve, I did not question the model guiding my care. I assumed the problem was me, which led to new diagnoses, additional therapy, and more prescriptions. This is how the vicious cycle of medicalization takes hold: a closed-loop system that continually redirects both patients and clinicians back into the same explanatory framework. Once inside that framework, you start to lose touch with all the other ways to understand yourself and your experiences. Many people don’t even recognize this is happening at all, because they’ve been taught that questioning medical authority is irrational or even dangerous. It makes sense that, for them, stories like mine feel uncomfortable because they challenge these fundamental assumptions many people have long relied on. But acknowledging the harms of medicalization is not the same as rejecting medicine entirely. Medical interventions save lives and remain essential in countless situations, but not every human experience requires a diagnosis or a pharmaceutical response. I feel our culture awakening to all the ways that medicalizing emotional pain and pharmaceuticalizing all responses to it have done us a collective disservice. A tipping point is coming. Can you feel it? Dr. Josef

12,220 Aufrufe • vor 2 Monaten

(1/2) It’s been a whirlwind leading up to and following the launch of my memoir about my experiences with the mental health industry—appearing in many places from CNN, to the BBC, to the Dark Horse Podcast. I’m especially excited to be doing this event with Dr Joanna Moncrieff , whose nuanced, original ideas about the way we think and talk about psychiatric drugs were very helpful for me as I “depsychiatrized” myself back in the early 2010s. I hope you’ll join us! (Link to register in comments)

(1/2) It’s been a whirlwind leading up to and following the launch of my memoir about my experiences with the mental health industry—appearing in many places from CNN, to the BBC, to the Dark Horse Podcast. I’m especially excited to be doing this event with Dr Joanna Moncrieff , whose nuanced, original ideas about the way we think and talk about psychiatric drugs were very helpful for me as I “depsychiatrized” myself back in the early 2010s. I hope you’ll join us! (Link to register in comments)

11,476 Aufrufe • vor 1 Jahr