Media Kit

This Unshrunk book Media Kit should give you everything you need to share the book with others. Please take a look through the resources below to get to know more about Laura and her new book. Feel free to use any of these resources in your promotion of the book.

Please let us know, using the contact form on Laura’s site, if you’d like to support us in some way other than with the resources in the Media Kit below, or if you have questions or would like to request an interview, appearance, or podcast with Laura.

Unshrunk Media Kit Contents
  1. Book Images
  2. Book Description (Short)
  3. Book Description (Medium)
  4. Book Description (Long)
  5. Back of Book Endorsements
  6. Social Swipe Copy
  7. Social Share Images
  8. Author Bio (short)
  9. Author Bio (medium)
  10. Author Bio (long)
  11. Author Headshot

Book Images

Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance, by Laura Delano - Book Cover
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Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance, by Laura Delano - Book Back Cover Endorsements
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Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance, by Laura Delano - Book Cover 3D
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Unshrunk: A Story of Psychiatric Treatment Resistance, by Laura Delano - Book Stack 3D
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Book Description (Short)

A harrowing journey from psychiatric patient to self-discovery, questioning the very foundations of how we understand human suffering and offering a profound meditation on reclaiming one’s identity beyond medical paradigms.

Book Description (Medium)

At thirteen, Laura Delano’s world begins to shift, launching her into years of psychiatric diagnoses, medications, and institutionalization. Unshrunk traces her transformation from someone who fully embraced the narrative of mental illness to a person who dares to question the fundamental assumptions of psychiatric treatment. Through intimate, powerful prose, we follow her journey of tapering off medications and rediscovering herself beyond diagnostic labels. This story isn’t simply about rejecting psychiatric treatment—it’s a critical examination of the mental health industry and an exploration of what happens when we reclaim our right to make sense of our own experiences on our own terms.

Book Description (Long)

In Unshrunk, a bright thirteen-year-old stands before her bathroom mirror, unaware that this moment marks the beginning of a life-altering saga. From that evening forward, Laura Delano’s life becomes increasingly defined by psychiatric diagnoses, medications, and a deep-seated belief in her fundamental brokenness.

Through vivid, intimate prose, we follow her journey from debutante balls and ivy-league promise into a labyrinth of psychiatric institutions, clinical labels, and an ever-expanding cocktail of medications. Yet beneath the surface of this “treatment,” questions begin to stir – first as whispers, then as mounting doubt, and finally as a fierce determination to discover who she might be beyond the language of disorder and disease.

After years of new drugs, worsening symptoms, and deep anguish, Delano finally begins to wonder. . . . What if her life is falling apart not in spite of her treatment, but because of it? After making the bold decision to taper off all psychiatric medications, she launches into uncharted territory, where she must learn to trust her own inner compass after years of deferring to external authorities.

This compelling narrative moves beyond simple rebellion against psychiatric treatment, exploring deeper questions about identity, power, and the nature of healing itself. Through elegant, unflinching prose, Delano makes a strong case for rediscovering personal authority, finding meaning beyond diagnostic labels, and building a life on one’s own terms. She challenges us to reconsider what it means to be human in a world that often seeks to categorize and contain our most difficult experiences.

Back of Book Endorsements

“Unshrunk is the story of a young woman who dared to be herself, and a potent reminder of why human suffering can never be reduced to a diagnostic manual. A must read for anyone probing the dark side of mental health treatment.”
Anna Lembke, MDNew York Times bestselling author of Dopamine Nation
“A powerful, inspiring, rigorously research-backed memoir about escaping the nightmarish trap of psychiatric drug treatment. As Delano writes, ‘The more I suffered, the more medical treatments I was convinced I needed, but the more treatments I received, the more I suffered.’ I highly recommend this brave and important book.”
Tao Linauthor of Leave Society
“A really moving and heart-rending story. Unshrunk will help and empower so many people.”
Johann HariNew York Times bestselling author of Stolen Focus
“Unshrunk is a revelation—haunting, but ultimately hopeful. For many, there is a way out from behind the veil of mental illness. Delano has gifts for both intense personal story and deep analysis.”
Heather Heyingauthor of A Hunter-Gatherer’s Guide to the 21st Century
“In this gripping, essential memoir, Laura Delano takes readers through the labyrinth of the American mental health system, where ‘the best available care’ left her sicker, more desperate, and more lost than ever before. As she deftly weaves the history of psychiatry with her own harrowing odyssey out of its grip, Delano’s clarity and compassion are awe-inspiring. This beautiful, rageful, joyful book is a beacon for all seeking a life beyond labels, beyond medication, beyond disorder.”
Jessica Nordellauthor of The End of Bias: A Beginning
“Laura Delano’s 15-year odyssey through the most exclusive corridors of American Psychiatry lays bare the self-deception and hubris of a profession which has alienated so many seeking its help. That she came out the other side and reclaimed her purpose, humanity, humor — her full self — would be impossible to believe, except that it is all here in this book, a juicy blend of biography, authoritative science, and cultural criticism. Anyone seeking help for mental despair would do well to read Unshrunk before taking the leap. This is reading-as-therapy, of the most bracing kind.”
Benedict Careyauthor of How We Learn
“Laura Delano’s Unshrunk is a revelation. Delano takes us by the hand and leads us into the depths of mental illness, the ways that modern psychiatric treatment can go awry and, most importantly, she illuminates a path back to mental health and hope for the future. This book is essential reading for patients, their families, and their health care providers.”
Gary Taubesauthor of The Case Against Sugar
“An intimate and riveting memoir of a spiral into despair, Laura Delano’s Unshrunk is required reading for any of us who have been diagnosed with a mental health condition. Harrowing reading, superb detective work, frank and unflinching, this book leaves its mark—and raises as many questions as it answers. Delano should be applauded for her keen intelligence and bravery. It takes guts to take on a system—and a diagnosis. Bravo.”
Ann Dowsett Johnstonauthor of Drink: The Intimate Relationship Between Women and Alcohol
“Turning children into psychiatric patients is tricky business and can have grave consequences, creating a life sentence unless the child grows into an adult with the courage to course correct. Laura Delano beautifully captures this plight in her harrowing memoir. In an age of fast drugs and cure-alls, sometimes letting things alone, be as they are is the healthiest course of all. I will not soon forget Unshrunk and the wisdom at the heart of Delano’s story.”
Martha McPheeauthor of Omega Farm
“Laura Delano’s book is as gripping as it is important. Despite a loving family and elite psychiatric care, she sinks deeper and deeper into a life dominated by murky diagnosis, a life swallowed by no less than twenty powerful psychiatric medications, drugs that often have damaging effects on mind and body. This is a thought-provoking story of warning—and triumph.”
Daniel Bergnerauthor of The Mind and the Moon: My Brother’s Story, the Science of Our Brains, and the Search for Our Psyches
“Laura Delano’s Unshrunk bravely describes her harrowing journey through the American mental health system. It is both a memoir and a detective story. She trains the most powerful lens on herself, unsparing in the details, yet without a trace of self pity. Her analysis of the science behind psychotropic drugs is rigorous and eye-opening. She offers practical guidance as well as hope for those who feel hopeless and despairing. Unshrunk is equally inspirational and riveting.”
Sally Bedell SmithNew York Times bestselling author

Social Swipe Copy

Post 1. . . Looking forward to reading Unshrunk

Post on X:
I turned to the mental health system and, looking back, it didn’t work for me. So that’s why I’m now looking forward to reading Unshrunk by @LauraDelano because hers is a story that I and so many of us will recognize and get behind: unshrunkthebook.com/order
Post on IG:
I turned to the mental health system and, looking back, it didn’t work for me. So that’s why I’m now looking forward to reading Unshrunk by @_lauradelano_, because hers is a story that I and so many of us will recognize and get behind: unshrunkthebook.com/order

#psychiatrized #unshrunkthebook #unshrunk #ssriwithdrawal
Post on Facebook:
I turned to the mental health system and, looking back, it didn’t work for me. So that’s why I’m now looking forward to reading Unshrunk by Laura Delano, because hers is a story that I and so many of us will recognize and get behind: unshrunkthebook.com/order

#psychiatrized #unshrunkthebook #unshrunk #ssriwithdrawal

Post 2. . . All sides of the story

Post on X:
Millions of people are turning to the mental health industry so it’s important to know all sides of the story, which is why I’m intrigued to read @LauraDelano’s new book, Unshrunk: unshrunkthebook.com/order
Post on IG:
Millions of people are turning to the mental health industry so it’s important to know all sides of the story, which is why I’m intrigued to read @_LauraDelano_’s new book, Unshrunk: unshrunkthebook.com/order

#psychiatrized #unshrunkthebook #unshrunk #ssriwithdrawal
Post on Facebook:
Millions of people are turning to the mental health industry so it’s important to know all sides of the story, which is why I’m intrigued to read Laura Delano’s new book, Unshrunk: unshrunkthebook.com/order

#psychiatrized #unshrunkthebook #unshrunk #ssriwithdrawal

Post 2. . . Fresh Perspectives

Post on X:
Much public debate surrounds mental health, so I’m intrigued to explore a fresh perspective on this subject with @LauraDelano’s new book, Unshrunk. We’re all affected, meaning every voice matters—join me: unshrunkthebook.com/order
Post on IG:
Much public debate surrounds mental health, so I’m intrigued to explore a fresh perspective on this subject with @_lauradelano’s new book, Unshrunk. We’re all affected, meaning every voice matters—join me: unshrunkthebook.com/order

#psychiatrized #unshrunkthebook #unshrunk #ssriwithdrawal
Post on Facebook:
Much public debate surrounds mental health, so I’m intrigued to explore a fresh perspective on this subject with Laura Delano’s new book, Unshrunk. We’re all affected, meaning every voice matters—join me: unshrunkthebook.com/order

#psychiatrized #unshrunkthebook #unshrunk #ssriwithdrawal

Social Share Images

Unshrunk book praise from from Tao Lin
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Unshrunk book praise from Sally Bedell Smith
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Unshrunk book praise from Benedict Carey
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Unshrunk book praise from Jessica Nordell
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Unshrunk book praise from Anna Lembke
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Unshrunk book praise from Martha McPhee
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Unshrunk book praise from Johann Hari
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Author Bio (short)

Laura Delano is a writer, speaker, and consultant and a leading voice in the international movement of people who’ve left behind the medicalized, professionalized mental health industry to build something different. 

Author Bio (medium)

Laura Delano is a writer, speaker, and consultant, and the founder of Inner Compass Initiative, a nonprofit organization that helps people make more informed choices about psychiatric diagnoses, drugs, and drug withdrawal. She is a leading voice in the international movement of people who’ve left behind the medicalized, professionalized mental health industry to build something different. Laura works with individuals and families around the world who are seeking guidance and support for the withdrawal journey and life post-psychiatry. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and children.

Author Bio (long)

At age fourteen, Laura Delano saw her first psychiatrist, who immediately diagnosed her with bipolar disorder and started her on a mood stabilizer and an antidepressant. Delano’s initial diagnosis marked the beginning of a life-altering saga. For the next thirteen years, she sought help from the best psychiatrists and hospitals in the country, accumulating a long list of diagnoses and a prescription cascade of nineteen drugs. After some resistance, Delano accepted her diagnosis and embraced the pharmaceutical regimen that she’d been told was necessary to manage her incurable, lifelong disease. But her symptoms only worsened. Eventually doctors declared her condition so severe as to be “treatment resistant.” A disturbing series of events left her demoralized, but sparked a last glimmer of possibility. . . . What if her life was falling apart not in spite of her treatment, but because of it? After years of faithful psychiatric patienthood, Delano realized there was one thing she hadn’t tried—leaving behind the drugs and diagnoses. 

Now, 15 years after successfully tapering off all psychiatric medication, Laura Delano is a writer, speaker, and consultant, and the founder of Inner Compass Initiative, a nonprofit organization that helps people make more informed choices about psychiatric diagnoses, drugs, and drug withdrawal. She is a leading voice in the international movement of people who’ve left behind the medicalized, professionalized mental health industry to build something different. Laura works with individuals and families around the world who are seeking guidance and support for the withdrawal journey and life post-psychiatry. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and children.

Author Headshot

Laura Delano, author of Unshrunk, Official Promotional Headshot
Laura Delano (c) Mariah May Photography
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