Maureen McCormick - a.k.a. "Marcia Brady"
A Story Of Bulimia, Depression, Cocaine Addiction

Maureen McCormick is best known for her role as "Marcia Brady" (casually spelled as "Marsha Brady") in the 1970's sitcom, The Brady Bunch. Maureen suffered from bulimia, as well as cocaine addiction. Here’s the story...

On the surface, Maureen McCormick 's home life may not have seemed much different from that of her alter ego on The Brady Bunch.

Her father, Richard, was a businessman and her mother, Irene -- who lost her parents at the age of ten -- was a stay-at-home Mom.

However, the similarities seem to end there. Sadly, Maureen's maternal grandmother died in a mental institution, and her grandfather committed suicide shortly after her death.

When Irene was a child, she was diagnosed with congenital syphilis, a form of syphilis that is inherited in the womb from an infected mother.

Throughout most of her childhood, Maureen witnessed her mother's shame regarding her illness -- and fear that she might have passed it on to her own children. The intensity of these feelings proved to be quite debilitating, as Irene suffered a nervous breakdown and received shock treatments as therapy.

In her autobiography, Maureen McCormick: Here's the Story: Surviving Marcia Brady and Finding My True Voice , Maureen admits that she doesn't recall her mother ever talking about her hospitalization, probably because it was seen as just one more thing to be embarrassed or self conscious about.

The McCormick home was anything but peaceful. Her parents frequently broke out into earth-shattering shouting matches, leaving little Maureen frightened, but nonetheless, a care-giver -- and the one who would try to console her mother.

Maureen McCormick - 'The Brady Bunch' And Marcia Brady Years

Before The Brady Bunch, Maureen McCormick started her career as a baby model, and eventually won the title of "Baby Miss San Fernando Valley". It seems as though she was already a pro in front of the camera -- very expressive, even at the tender of five years old.

By the time she was a teenager and had already begun the role of Marcia Brady, Maureen found herself to be even more curious about her mother's syphilis and the treatment that she had received .

This was a delicate subject, and one that her father had only just begun to talk about with his children. He presented them with his version of the story, and Maureen's wish was that she could also hear it from her mother's perspective, but she would not talk.

The lack of understanding about her mother's illness made Maureen feel extremely self-conscious and out-of-place on the "Brady" set. She was embarrassed because she thought that everyone could see it, and everyone knew about her family's secret.

She began to believe that if her grandmother and her mother had syphilis, that she must have it as well. Maureen figured that in time, she would also end up institutionalized. The psychological burden of keeping secrets within herself, and never talking about them slowly began to take their toll.

Maureen McCormick - Bulimia, Cocaine Addiction - Addictive Personality

Maureen McCormick found herself filled with doom and feelings of fear and shame started to intensify. Still, she kept her secret.

When The Brady Bunch ended, Maureen went into a downward spiral in just about every way. She was emotionally tormented, and her career seemed to have hit a dead end. She was too typecast as "Marcia Brady" and casting agents found it difficult to see her in any other role.

Maureen admits to having an "addictive personality" and when she began experimenting with cocaine, she quickly discovered that she "needed it" to drown her sorrows and make the world seem okay again.

Diet pills and an obsession with body image soon followed. She would binge on sweets and high-carb foods, and end up feeling extremely guilty.

She developed bulimia, where purging was a way to get rid of the food she had just consumed, and the guilt that went along with it.

As time went on, Maureen found it easier to deal with her nervousness and anxiety as long as she had her cocaine, and the binge-and-purge cycles that seemed to make her feel better -- if only for a short time.

For several years she went deeper and deeper into the world of drugs, hiding away in her room, not answering the door or the phone. For days on end, she would be so strung out on drugs that she could not sleep.

With her career in a slump and little-to-no money coming in, Maureen McCormick began to trade sexual favors for drugs. If she did get work, she would sometimes show up on a drug-induced high -- something she vowed she would never do, but couldn't stop herself.

Maureen McCormick - Life After "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!"

With the help and support of family and friends -- including most of her "Brady Bunch" cast mates -- Maureen entered treatment, worked hard, and was able to get her life back in order.

(To better understand Maureen's eating disorder, head over to 'What Is Bulimia?').

In 1995, she recorded a CD entitled, When You Get A Little Lonely - which, surprisingly, is still available at Amazon.com.

Maureen McCormick has also appeared on stage in musicals and on reality television. She is now happily married, and has a beautiful daughter named Natalie.

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