Publication Date March 18, 2025

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.