I will admit right up front that I have had my share of interactions with mental health care, and that I honestly feel I'm here thanks in part to the wonders of pharmacology and skilled therapy. I also admit that I have close friends and family members who have a totally different view of the whole topic (in fact, one person who used to be (but sadly is no longer) close to me went through what I would call serious traumatic events including suicidal efforts, hospitalization, and major efforts at medical interventions, only to finally throw up her hands and say "f%^k it, I QUIT!" and stop her meds cold turkey. So I have done a fair amount of thinking and wondering what is the best way to deal with a mental health issue...only to finally land on accepting that it's a totally individual thing and there isn't one right solution for everyone (ok, go ahead and say it: "DUH!")

In any case, I am still curious enough to continue to read and view personal tales of experiences dealing with mental health, so I was pleased to have the opportunity to read a copy of Laura Delano's Unshrunk, in exchange for my honest review (thanks to Penguin Group Viking and NetGalley).

With the subtitle "A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance," the reader knows going in that Ms. Delano hasn't exactly jumped into the arms of her caregivers wholeheartedly, but I was very curious about her path. I admit that reading that she and her husband run "a psychiatric medication tapering consulting business" did give me pause, as did the "comparison of mainstream mental health/psychiatry and scientology." But as noted above, my tendency is to think that whatever works for someone is THEIR path, and I'm not inclined to make judgment -- well, at least not aloud LOL.

My recommendation is halfhearted: it's HER story, and not a prescription for everyone. To the extent that everyone has a story to tell, I applaud anyone who can be vulnerable enough to share their story with others. Bottom line: as mental health memoirs go, this one is OK.

An empowering and informative memoir of how mental health is treated in the U.S. today. It was surprising to hear how quickly the doctors come to a "diagnosis" and how difficult it is to come off the medications that are prescribed to about 1 in 4 Americans today

This book offers an intriguing proposition - that psychiatry is not the only framework available for understanding and managing mental suffering - but I just didn't find the writing that engaging. I was drawn in by the idea of the author's including excerpts from her medical records and then responding to and interpreting them, but the end result doesn't stand out among other entries in the genre of the mental illness memoir.

I read a lot of mental health memoirs because I teach students going into mental health related careers, so I'm always looking for more books that will help them listen to individuals' experiences with diagnosis and treatment, especially for critical experiences. I'll be recommending this memoir but prefaced with some concerns. I think Delano has an important perspective, but I didn't realize going in that it would be Mad in America related and focused on iatrogenic impacts of psychotropic medications and how to taper off. I wish that were clearer upfront. There are many ways and sites of resistance to mainstream mental health care, but for some reason that only became clear to me 3/4th of the way through the book. It kind of felt like it snuck up on me, though I was well aware that the story would critical of mental health care. If you're on psychotropic meds and they are working for you, you may have a very different experience of reading this book than folks who are in a similar situation to Delano's and really unhappy with side effects and health problems and still having symptoms that the meds are supposed to be treating.

I think Delano's perspective is important. However, I'm a "big bag of diverse tools so you can find the ones that fit your client now" sort of person. I'm afraid that this book is at risk of either making some people feel like "psychiatric drugs are bad" (so get off them), and it's more nuanced than that and more specific to the person and the situation. What is beautiful, but not really the focus at the end of the memoir, is Delano's journey through that brought her to new ways of understanding her life, her situation, and herself. That she made the changes and that she learned to pushback on that powerful need to be "good" and "compliant." I'm not sure what message will be louder for each reader--- "drugs bad"/"psychiatric establishment is a treadmill" or you can choose/it will tough and you can do it.

Part of the reason why I am saying this is because I have a lot of conversations with undergrads about Pharma. Is it bad? It's bad, right? Wellness influencers and anti-science fringe becoming center are having destructive impacts. And right now we're in a frighting moment where our public health infrastructure is being taken apart and anti-vaxx sentiments (and all the ableism and eugenics that go with them) are being normalized. It's really hard to help people parse that medicines and vaccines can be life saving. And some have major side effects. And some are bad. But I can't just assume all bad or all good. It's not a black and white thing. Yes, I criticize Pharma's business model. But many medication have been life changing and life saving. But I don't assume that all medications are suspect and ineffective, and I can recognize that Pharma is set up to maximize profits. When making treatment decisions there is no choice without risk, including the decision to do nothing. (side bar: We have decades and decades of data -- vaccines are incredible effective with very few and temporary side effects... and many psychiatric medications have very well known and frequent side effects. But that should be not a controversial thing to say.) So while we're in a Carrot-Juice-Will-Save-You-From-Measles moment in the US, we need more nuance and I'm not sure how readers will leave this book.

Totally chuckled at the comparison of mainstream mental health/psychiatry and scientology. Duly noted that Delano and her husband run a psychiatric medication tapering consulting business, which is fair, but again, it felt snuck it at the end of the book. And as a therapist and author, I felt like Delano was so very nice to almost everyone in the book. And I know one of the things that students resonate with and feel relief from in Stephanie Foo's books is that she is a bit sharp edged. She calls it like she sees it. Delano comes across as being very nice to everyone she talks about even when she is being critical of them. And we don't much of sense of her family for that reason. It is also inescapable and Delano names it and recognizes how different her life would have been without the social and financial support of her family. This factor may make this memoir more or less relatable for any given reader.

If you're thinking of a major shift away from psychiatric care, this book could be really inspiring. And this book could also make you feel quite guilty and unsure of your choices if you just had your teen put on a mood stabilizer or ADHD medication or you're struggling in a situation where a drug has the therapeutic effect you want and side effects you don't.