Over 50 million Americans are on an antidepressant. As early as 2014, over 15 million have been on their medication for more than five years, while FDA studies are only 6-8 weeks long.
Physiological dependence, and resulting withdrawal, has been hidden from both doctors and patients, leading them to believe that they are in some way broken, and need to stay on the medication for life–often framed using the “chemical imbalance” myth.
As our co-founder Dr. Mark Horowitz says: we’ve been selling cars without brakes.
At Outro, we’re building the first-ever digital health solution for safe antidepressant deprescribing, with plans to expand to other psychiatric medication classes. We exist to empower our members with the knowledge, resources, and clinical support they need to safely and sustainably transition to life after medication.
Our methodology was developed by co-founder Dr. Mark Horowitz, who translated his own experience, and the experiences of thousands of others in online peer support forums, into the first evidence-based approach to deprescribing.
Outro’s multidisciplinary team includes healthcare providers, world-leading researchers, patient advocates, operators, designers and people with lived experience of the gaps left by the current healthcare system. Searching for solutions, our neurobiology-based approach to medication tapering was born out of online patient communities and developed scientifically by Dr. Horowitz.
With a highly-personalized, science-backed approach at its core, Outro is searching for like-minded people to help us pioneer a new model of holistic mental healthcare, based on our shared values across the current patient journey: informed consent, evidence-based care, individual empowerment, and sustainable mental well-being.
<aside> 💡 If you don’t see something that fits but are passionate about the work we do, fill out the Open Application.
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<aside> 📰 Here are a few articles featuring our passionated, dedicated team members.
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Last updated: December 05, 2023