How do you safely and successfully taper off psychiatric medication and what alternative strategies can you implement instead?

Get updated on the latest information regarding these two questions with Anders Sørensen, Laura Delano and Dex Carrington.

The majority of knowledge we have about how to safely come off psychiatric drugs does not come from scientific research but rather from the experiences of those who have been through it. Patients understood long before researchers just how difficult psychiatric drugs can be to come off and how to do it safely. Through their experiences it became clear how essential it is to proceed with caution and taper slowly in order to avoid the worst withdrawal symptoms. In recent years, research has been catching up and numerous studies now confirm the struggles of prescribed drug dependency and withdrawal.

Life beyond psychiatric drugs can be difficult, often due to withdrawal symptoms from tapering too quickly, along with the re-emergence of previously numbed or suppressed emotions and thoughts that come back online in the wake of medications. Many people find it difficult to navigate this process alone. The process often demands a great deal of time, self-education, and effort from the person going through it, which is what will be addressed in detail in this lecture.

Anders Sørensen is a Danish clinical psychologist and Ph.D. in psychiatry specialized in psychiatric drug withdrawal. He is one of the world’s leading experts on tapering psychiatric medication and drug-free treatments of conditions like depression, anxiety, stress and psychosis.

Laura Delano is a former psychiatric patient, author and executive director of Inner Compass Initiative, which provides information to facilitate more informed choices about taking and coming off psychiatric drugs.

Dex Carrington is an established Norwegian comedian and TV personality who spent over a decade on several psychiatric drugs and several years to come off them. He shares his powerful and inspiring story of a difficult and arduous journey out of the psychiatric system