| Road
Map to Recovery |
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| Margot
Kidder is not only an actress,
a writer, a mother and a grandmother. She is, most importantly,
someone who has traveled the dark paths of mental illness
to discover sunshine and a healthy way of life. |
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| Margot's
WebSite |
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Margie's
Hints
* Do your homework.
* Ask questions.
* Learn how to care for yourself.
* If you need to work with a
psychiatrist, find out first if he/she is willing to work
with alternative treatment. |
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| Not
very long ago, she was a helpless victim of her illness, diagnosed
in her twenties as schizophrenic and less than five years ago as
manic depressive. Margot, known among her friends as Margie (not
g as in George but g as in get) is today a happy, healthy Margie
who understands her personal biology incredibly well. She comments,
"If you have a biological imbalance, looking for someone to
blame doesn't get you there. You look for the right sources of help
and make an incredibly difficult commitment - to get well."
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| Curled
up on a couch in her warm and cozy Montana home, a large dog (Zelda)
at her feet, another (Kendall, named for her father) sharing the
couch, surrounded by photographs of family and friends, Margie remembers
clearly the day she decided to take charge of her future. The first
step was a big dose of acceptance, "I am like this, let's face
it. The why doesn't matter. I got here. The bottom line is 'how
do I get well' - and looking for someone to blame doesn't get you
there." |
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| Margie
joins the founders, trustees, staff and advisers for the New
Hope Foundation in feeling that "The bright future for
the program depends upon a "marriage" of two systems
- one dependent upon psychotropic drugs, the other on alternative
or orthomolecular treatment utilizing vitamins, essential
oils and other naturally occurring substances - each having
value under certain circumstances, and vastly increased benefits
when combined. My friends have proved an invaluable support
system, helping me to recognize when I may need additional
support - and, therefore, I applaud New Hope's concept of
a life-long support resource. The old system alone doesn't
work, but New Hope's program is that solid combination that
can make a huge difference in the lives of so many people,
not only through the initial residential facility in Maryland,
but also in the endless opportunities for replication. The
road map to recovery is a totally personal one and must be
redrawn for every individual - and that's what New Hope offers."
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| This
upbeat take on recovery is all the more remarkable in light of Margot
Kidder's own journey. As a member of the entertainment community,
well remembered as Lois Lane in Superman, Margie enjoyed little
privacy as she tried to deal with her illness. The unwelcome attention
on the front pages of the tabloids was hurtful to her and her family
as she struggled with the isolation of living in the "bin"as
inmates refer to the institutions, experiencing restraints and the
utter panic of realizing where she was. As she read more about the
science of getting better, her friends tried to help by smuggling
vitamins in to her. Smuggling vitamins? When cigarettes were passed
out as rewards? She knows that the doctors who have previously embraced
the natural alternatives are courageous and, until recently, even
foolhardy in terms of their own careers. Fortunately, attitudes
are changing, and a greater number of the mentally ill can share
in the joy of recovery. |
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| Family
fills the top slot on her priority list, and she knows the best
gift she can offer is to stay healthy. Margie eats well, takes her
vitamins, pays consistent attention to control of her food allergies
and chemical imbalances, exercises regularly and stays in touch
with the doctors who have supported her recovery. This woman knows
where she has been and has no intention of returning to those dark
days. |
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| Margot
Kidder's open sharing of her experiences in institutions, the delusions
and voices that lead to the too easily applied labels of schizophrenia
and manic depression encourages others to look for valid answers.
As she speaks to audiences from coast to coast and in her native
Canada, Margie takes a moderate tone. "Supporting alternative
medicine isn't about attacking the medical system. It's about cooperation,
working together to find the right answers. When I was ill, I was
the same "me" but a sick me. Too often doctors see you
as labels, with symptoms that fit a certain description, not as
a complicated human being who happens to be ill. |
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| "There
isn't any magic red line between being healthy and being ill. People
cross back and forth all the time. No one is totally healthy or
totally ill. Stresses and sensitivities make people stray from acting
'the way they should.' Once you're given a label, it sticks. It
doesn't unstick easily." In making her presentations, Margie
tries to slip in a little humor, to show that attitudes help and
that there can be consideration of alternatives without contention.
For Margie, Prozac was the answer during her acute episodes, but
it wasn't a prescription for recovery, only a holding option. |
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At a time when medical costs are skyrocketing, and few families
can handle the high costs of dealing with mental illness, she feels
strongly that combining the best of the traditional and alternative
methods is not only beneficial for the patients, but also represents
a vastly more affordable solution. In Canada where socialized medicine
is a huge part of the national budget, serious attention is being
given to the potential for highly successful and far less expensive
treatment of those whose illness can be traced to biological imbalances
and sensitivities. The state of Washington and particularly the
Seattle area have exhibited interest in support for alternative
medicine. |
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Margot
Kidder is passionate in her belief that "The time has come
to recognize the synergy that exists when people of good will and
much talent come together to solve problems that don't have to destroy
lives."
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