Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 28, 1994 TAG: 9406300065
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-1 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By DAVID TEEL NEWPORT NEWS DAILY PRESS
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: Medium
Most of us would hide from such painful memories. Most of us would cringe when someone dredged them up again.
Not Spencer-Devlin. She embraces opportunities to discuss her illness. She hopes her professional golf career can inspire some of the millions of Americans afflicted with manic depression.
``I've always talked about it,'' said Spencer-Devlin, who participated in the Farm Fresh Pro-Am Classic on Monday at Cypress Point in Virginia Beach. ``I always hoped someone suffering would pick up the paper and read about someone else dealing with it and having some success.''
Spencer-Devlin, 40, has won three professional tournaments, including the 1986 United Virginia Bank Classic in Suffolk. But the highs and lows of golf pale to those she has experienced since being diagnosed with manic depression in 1974.
The disease, marked by severe moods of mania and depression, confuses not only laymen but also doctors. Some doctors believe the condition is caused by social stresses during childhood. Others say it is caused by chemical imbalances in the brain.
Psychiatrists estimate that at least 5 million Americans suffer from manic depression. But the stigmas and ignorance surrounding mental illness prompt many to deny their condition.
Spencer-Devlin's condition became critical in 1975, when an altercation with a hotel clerk landed her in a straitjacket at Bellvue Hospital in New York.
The incident began when Spencer-Devlin sauntered into the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and demanded a room. She had no cash, credit cards or identification. She did not have a reservation.
When a clerk denied her a room, Spencer-Devlin slammed her walking stick across the counter. She was herded into a back room, where she attempted to throw a telephone. Police were summoned and took her to Bellvue.
Following her release, Spencer-Devlin continued to chase her dreams of a career in acting and modeling. She lived on Broadway. She smoked dope and once lived for two weeks on a diet of Irish coffee.
Burned out, Spencer-Devlin turned to golf. She was a country club golfer as a child and competed in junior tournaments against the likes of Laura Baugh and Hollis Stacy. In 1979, Spencer-Devlin qualified for the LPGA Tour.
She won tournaments in 1985, '86 and '89. She regaled the media with tales of reincarnation and her previous life as King Arthur. We labeled her a harmless and entertaining space cadet.
Spencer-Devlin was treating her illness with vitamins and health foods, but in 1990, she had a relapse. Attending a pre-tournament dinner in Woburn, England, Spencer-Devlin refused to sit in her assigned seat and demanded a place at the head table. Dressed like a 1920s cabaret star, Spencer-Devlin slammed her fist on the table, screamed at tournament officials and stormed out.
This time, Spencer-Devlin turned to a more conventional treatment for manic depression: lithium carbonate.
``It was like trying to kill an ant with a bowling ball,'' she said.
It killed her golf game. She finished 146th on the money list and did not crack the top 25 of any tournament. It was the worst year of her career.
Last April, Spencer-Devlin met Dr. Priscilla Slagle, the author of ``The Way Up From Down,'' a book about depression. Slagle prescribed holistic treatment based on vitamins, amino acids and a healthy diet.
The amino acids, Spencer-Devlin said, are the keys. They are organic compounds, the building blocks of protein, and Spencer-Devlin believes they are the perfect tonic for her brain chemistry.
``There are no side effects,'' she said, ``other than clarity of mind. What a glorious side effect.''
Last year at the U.S. Women's Open in Indianapolis, Spencer-Devlin spoke to an audience of several hundred about her experiences. She prepared nothing. She merely spoke from the heart, for almost an hour.
``That was the most profound experience,'' she said.
Spencer-Devlin's personal renaissance has carried over to golf. She's 50th in earnings this year on the LPGA Tour, higher than at any time since 1989.
``I feel the best I've ever felt as an adult,'' Spencer-Devlin said. ``I hit it better now, and I'm technically better now than I've ever been.''
And the more quality golf she plays, the more people will hear her story. It is a story worth telling.
by CNB