# 159: The Hidden Dangers of Psychiatry & Medications (And What to Do Instead) | Laura Delano

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/reclamation-radio-with-kelly-brogan-md-5972193/159-the-hidden-dangers-of-psychiatry-medications-and-what-to-do-instead-laura-delano
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/reclamation-radio-with-kelly-brogan-md-5972193/159-the-hidden-dangers-of-psychiatry-medications-and-what-to-do-instead-laura-delano.md
Podcast: [Reclamation Radio with Kelly Brogan MD](https://stenobird.com/podcast/reclamation-radio-with-kelly-brogan-md-5972193)
Published: 2026-05-12T04:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://share.transistor.fm/s/bbe108cf
Audio file: https://media.transistor.fm/bbe108cf/66d8e194.mp3
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/reclamation-radio-with-kelly-brogan-md-5972193/episodes/159-the-hidden-dangers-of-psychiatry-medications-and-what-to-do-instead-laura-delano
Duration seconds: 4374

## Resource

Get instant access to Kelly's Beauty Backroom here: KellyBroganMD.com Get your tickets to Kelly's live Audacious Embodiment weekend in Miami, FL here . Is the mental health system really helping people feel better? Laura Delano is an author, speaker, and founder of Inner Compass Initiative, a nonprofit devoted to helping people make informed decisions about psychiatric drugs and how to taper off them safely. She has spent over a decade working with individuals and families around the world seeking guidance and support for psychiatric drug withdrawal. A label can start to shape your life before you even realize it. I heard Laura’s story of being diagnosed with bipolar disorder in adolescence and how that diagnosis led to ongoing experiences with psychiatric diagnosis and the use of psychiatric drugs. What unfolds is not only a personal account, but a look at how patient identity can expand while a life contracts, even in the presence of consistent compliance and care. Years of trying to do treatment “right” led to being told she had treatment-resistant mental illness, a conclusion that carried devastating implications about what was possible. She began to question the treatment she had trusted and realized she had handed over her authority to make sense of her own experiences. What she arrives at now is a different orientation, centered on reconnecting to an inner compass, where information is shared freely, and people are supported in making their own decisions about their lives. You’ll learn: [00:00] Introduction [03:36] Why Laura wrote Shrunk , and the conversation she wanted to spark [09:01] The mirror moment at 13 that pulled her into the mental health system [13:58] Why the borderline diagnosis was the one she couldn't stomach [19:48] How becoming the perfect pati…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/reclamation-radio-with-kelly-brogan-md-5972193/episodes/159-the-hidden-dangers-of-psychiatry-medications-and-what-to-do-instead-laura-delano/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/reclamation-radio-with-kelly-brogan-md-5972193/159-the-hidden-dangers-of-psychiatry-medications-and-what-to-do-instead-laura-delano.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.