Comparing a Mental Illness Recovery with Parkinsons

Alice A. Holstein, Ed.D was diagnosed with bipolar mood disorder at the age of 51, which interrupted her career and produced some 12 years of intense suffering with many manic episodes, many hospitalizations, thousands of dollars spent and overall, a bleak prognosis of recovery. She lives now, as an elder, with a full if careful life of extraordinary wellness despite still being on medication. She has a dramatic story to share about how she developed a revolutionary understanding of mental health recovery which she believes can be at least partially related to recovery with Parkinsons. In her presentation she will explain this potential correlation by first enumerating the comparisons, such as that she too was given a bleak prognosis and told that heavy medication was required. She also understands that Parkinson’s can often produce depression in those who suffer. Her thoughts can help people specifically deal with that diagnosis. Alice believes that illness in general should be treated as a whole person approach---holistically, to include mental, emotional, physical, spiritual and social aspects. The medical profession does not proceed in this fashion. She accidentally discovered this more complete framework and has developed specific understandings that may be helpful to those dealing with Parkinsons. She also believes that recovery is partly a matter of developing one’s higher consciousness. Her ideas and words will likely challenge, inspire and encourage the listeners on this broadcast to continue and add to the kinds of things they already are doing to improve their conditions vs. degenerate. Her example serves as a beacon of hope to living a healthier life regardless of one’s diagnosis, going beyond present practices to achieve stronger wellness and increased satisfaction. Her website is www.aliceholstein.net