I have just learned of the passing of Margot Kidder, a well-known actress and an advocate of alternative approaches to mental health. In 2001, Margot had a profound affect on my life when I learned that she managed her bipolar disorder with supplements and vitamins. Although I did not take charge of my nutrition until 2009, I credit my change in part to Margot’s work.
My most fascinating connection to Margot came later. I learned that the farmhouse where I hold my annual Body Image Day workshop is the same location where, in 1968, Margot filmed her very first movie, “The Best Damn Fiddler from Calabogie to Kaladar.”
Thank you, Margot, for your bravery in sharing your alternative experiences with mental health at a time when it was not well received in the medical community.
~ Sara Hardy
Forward by Sara Hardy
THE ACTRESS MARGOT Kidder had a very public mental breakdown in 1996. I remember it well, because I was also living with a mental illness. My heart went out to her.
A few years later, Margot Kidder was again in the news, but this time, she announced to the world that she had cured her mental illness with nutritional supplements. I was excited to share this promising news with my psychiatrist, but his response to the article wasn’t what I expected. He said, “She’s doing the world a huge disservice if she thinks she can cure mental illness with vitamins.” I felt such a letdown, because it had sounded like she was on to something important. Trusting my doctor’s opinion and discounting my own, I continued on with my medications for another decade.
I have thought about Margot Kidder often since then, because finding my mental health started when I improved the nutrition in my diet. Encouraged by my original gut feeling that she had discovered an alternative approach to medication, I listened to my intuition and soon discovered other fascinating but unorthodox ways to recover my health.
My hope is that my story inspires you to follow your own curiosity. Don’t be blindly swayed by those in authoritative roles. They may have more education, but that doesn’t mean they always have the right answers for you. Use every resource available to find your own answers. The journey that you are on is yours alone, so take command of it. Remember the words of Lao Tzu, a Chinese philosopher from long ago, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
Sara
~ Excerpt from the book “Bittersweet: Married to Mental Illness” by Adam Hardy
