Mad in America

Register for one or all three days!

September 20th to 22nd, 10am to 4pm
Holyoke Community College, Kittredge Center
Holyoke, Massachusetts

Day 1: Wednesday, September 20th, with Laura Delano - Personal Exploration: Coming off psych drugs is much more than just a physical process—it’s also mental, emotional, social, and even spiritual. You’ll explore different aspects of your relationship with psych drugs, including your beliefs about what they are and how they work, the impacts they’ve had on your life, relationships, and sense of self, and what it might mean to reduce or come off them. This day is meant for people who are taking psychiatric drugs and considering reducing or coming off them.

Day 2: Thursday, September 21st with Laura Delano - Practical Considerations: You’ll learn about various factors to consider when thinking through the safest possible psychiatric drug reduction or withdrawal, including: the impacts of psych drugs on the body and why this matters for tapering, ways of optimally preparing yourself in advance of reducing or coming off, and a high-level overview of the safest known layperson taper protocols.
This day is meant for people considering or going through drug withdrawal and/or supporters and providers interested in learning how to help.

Day 3: Friday, September 22nd, with Laura Delano, Sascha DuBrul, Malaika Puffer, Marty Hadge and more - Developing Supports in Our Community: This day will include a panel of speakers representing a wide range of views, including those who have made a decision to take psychiatric drugs continuously, those who have made a decision to withdraw completely, and those who use them for short periods of times as useful. It will also include a report back from members of the Hive Collective in Vermont who have experience running support groups related to psychiatric drugs, and open space for us to talk about what supports we may want to create in our own community. This day is open to anyone who is interested in this conversation.