Crossing Zero: The Art and Science of Coming Off — and Staying off — Psychiatric Drugs

Are you struggling to come off antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, mood stabilizers, or other psychiatric medication? You’re not alone. Millions worldwide experience confusing and painful withdrawal symptoms - often misdiagnosed as relapse. Crossing Zero combines up-to-date science with real clinical experience to help you taper off safely and reclaim your life beyond medication. Many people discover that after prolonged use of psychiatric drugs, when they try to stop, their bodies simply won’t allow them. Psychiatric drug withdrawal from antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, mood stabilizers, or stimulants can be intense and confusing, often mistaken for a relapse or taken as proof that they still "need" the medication. For many, the challenge of weaning off medication becomes a second crisis, sometimes worse than the original symptoms. But what’s a relapse? What’s withdrawal? What’s you – and what’s the drug? How do you safely taper off and stay off psychiatric medication? And maybe most importantly, how do you manage life without meds? Crossing Zero offers a clear, compassionate guide in three parts: Part One – Drugs and Diagnoses explains how psychiatric drugs work (and don’t work), why withdrawal is often misdiagnosed as relapse, and introduces a trauma-informed, psychosocial approach to mental health and emotional distress – beyond diagnostic labels. Part Two – The Slow Taper gives you practical step-by-step methods for a careful, gradual taper to ease withdrawal symptoms from antidepressants, antipsychotics, benzodiazepines, stimulants, and mood stabilizers. You’ll learn the hyperbolic taper method, how to recognize and manage withdrawal symptoms, how to avoid protracted withdrawal, and how to tell the difference between withdrawal and relapse. There's also a chapter on psychological dependence, and guidance on how to talk about withdrawal and tapering with family and friends, whose support can make all the difference. Part Three – Life Beyond Medication explores how to live well without drugs as a long-term strategy, offering psychological strategies and exercises for navigating emotional pain, overcoming trauma reactions, and breaking free from patterns of overthinking such as worry, rumination, and self-criticism. Written by Danish Clinical Psychologist Anders Sørensen, who also holds a PhD in psychiatry, Crossing Zero combines the most up-to-date science with over a decade of clinical experience helping people safely withdraw from psychiatric drugs, build a meaningful life beyond medication, and reclaim agency over their lives. View Less