Laura Delano sent a message around a couple of weeks ago that found its way into in my inbox. She is featured in a New Yorker Magazine article, The Challenge of Going off Psychiatric Drugs. Well worth a read.
A little more than a year ago, Laura and a small team launched a non-profit organization called Inner Compass Initiative (ICI) with a mission to help people make more informed choices about the mental health system—and specifically, choices about taking and coming off psychiatric drugs.
She writes: “I know firsthand how physically and emotionally debilitating the process of medication withdrawal can be, having come off 5 drugs in 5 months (way too fast!) in 2010. The conversations I’ve had over the years with thousands of people around the world have shown me that I’m not alone. Though it’s common knowledge that prolonged use of psychiatric medication can have serious adverse effects, there have been (to date) no formal scientific studies on safe tapering protocols. Few physicians and psychiatrists and no specialized detox facilities have experience with harm reduction-oriented methods of psychiatric medication withdrawal. If a person wishes to reduce their dose or stop taking a psychiatric drug, there is nowhere to turn for support or guidance in the mental health system.
Find out more about the Inner Compass Initiative and consider making a donation. ICI website states emphatically that “We are not a “mental health” organization. We are a social-change organization.”
Dear Rossa
My name is Alicia. My son was diagnosed in 2010 with unorganized schizophrenia. I was watching the documentary/movie HEAL. It moved me to Google holistic treatment for schizophrenia. You popped up in my Google search. I believe all things happen for a reason. Im looking forward to reading your books. Oh by the way I too suffer from A-fib and have not sought medical attention for it. I highly recommend the Netflix movie HEAL if you havent seen it already. Thank you for all you have done. You are a blessing.
Good to hear from you, Alicia and welcome aboard! I’ll look into HEAL, which I’ve heard a lot about. I’ll post more about the A-fib once I see the specialist at the end of this month. I believe that daily drinking of magnesium and other minerals have greatly improved the situation.