Doing mental health differently

Whether you’re navigating psychiatric drug withdrawal or working to change the system—you’re in the right place. ICI is a nonprofit founded by former patients that offers free resources and community support and engages in public policy advocacy for a future rooted in truth, safety, and choice.
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What’s new

    Free resources

    ICI’s companion guide to psych drug withdrawal

    Thinking about life without psych drugs? Designed and written by laypeople and reviewed by clinical and academic experts, ICI offers this guide completely free of charge to individuals, families, and anyone else supporting others through dependency, tapering, and withdrawal. It’s grounded in the principles of harm reduction and uses a hyperbolic approach to tapering.

    Do you have questions about a specific drug or withdrawal symptom?
    You can hear from other people who have been there too in ICI Exchange ↓

    COMMUNITY

    ICI Exchange: much more than tapering

    Inner Compass Exchange is a private, community-led platform for the kind of togetherness that only comes from those who’ve been there. By joining the Exchange, you’ll find:

    • A huge collection of video content – everything from interviews to advice on coping strategies.
    • Regular member-led live calls about life with psych drugs & diagnoses and life beyond them.
    • 24/7 feeling of community powered by hundreds of ongoing member conversations and connections.
    GET TWO WEEKS FREE

    INNER COMPASS EXCHANGE

    Man finds community online through Inner Compass Exchange
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    BIG IMPACT

    955k
    site
    visitors
    3.4M
    page
    views
    203
    different
    countries
    8
    years
    of operations
    2,800
    live support
    hours
    7,500
    member
    stories

    Little nonprofit

    BIG IMPACT

    955k
    site
    visitors
    203
    different
    countries
    8
    years
    of operations
    7.5k
    member
    stories

    The Inner Compass Initiative Story

    As a teenager, ICI founder Laura Delano was told she needed psychiatric medication to live a normal life. Despite taking up to six different drugs at a time, her dysfunction and distress only deepened. After 10 years of struggle, she asked: What if I am actually OK and these drugs are making me sick?

    As she searched for answers, Laura learned the hard way about the risks of tapering off psychiatric drugs too quickly. She discovered a lack of scientific evidence both for the effectiveness of the drugs she was on and for her diagnoses. Laura also found that the most valuable and insightful information came not from mental health professionals but from others with similar experiences.

    This inspired Laura to create Inner Compass Initiative. We are a nonprofit run by and for people who, like Laura, once turned to the mental health industry for answers but ultimately didn’t find them there. We provide information, resources, and support to help you make fully informed choices, guide your own growth, and tell your own story.

    READ MORE

    Read more about ICI
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    ICI exists to provide what I wish I’d had: information, resources, and people who can help us orient after we feel like we have fallen off the map.”
    Laura Delano, Founder
    Read more about ICI

    Your support makes our impact possible

    As a small nonprofit organization, we are 100% funded by donations. If you connect with our mission and find our resources helpful, please consider supporting us with a fully tax-deductible donation.

    Together, we change lives and we change the world. It’s possible. Thank you!

    Support us
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    Stories

    Real voices,
    real experiences

    Since we were founded in 2018, folks have been sending us their stories about the realities of their lives in relationship to psych drugs, diagnoses, withdrawal and healing. Here you’ll find the insights, wisdom, and unique perspectives that come only from direct personal experience.

    • Choose your favorite format: watch video interviews or read written stories.
    See the stories

    Stories

    Girl watching video on ICI stories library.