Sybil: ExposedThe Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple

Personality Case

Presented By: Sam Margelofsky

The Three Women

Dr. Cornelia Wilbur

Shirley Mason

Flora Rheta Schreiber

Multiple Personality Before Sybil

Fewer than 200 people world wide diagnosed with conditions that would be labeled today as MPD.

Considered medical curosities Generally only one or two altersNo known causes

The Pre-Feminist Era

SexismDual-Occupation – Work and MotherhoodPostponing MotherhoodAvoiding motherhood al togetherExploring sex outside of marriage

Sybil: The “True Story”

Columbia University & Philadelphia Dr. WilburTraumasTreatment

Shirley Ardell Mason

Born: January 25, 1923Dodge Center, Minnesota

Shirley’s Childhood

Quiet and Slender; dark hairOnly ChildLiked to color and draw as well as play

with dollsMade up stories without actually writingImaginary Friends

Seventh Day Adventism

William MillerEllen HarmonAdventism forbade: pretending, novels,

short stories, art done in strange colors, sex outside of procreation, and masturbation

Seventh Day Adventism Practices

Vegetarian DietGraham CrackersOther ProductsAmerican Health ReformSabbath School

The Mason’s & Adventism

The Mason Family was one of the pioneering families of Adventism

The Mason’s practices

Walter & Mattie Mason

Shirley’s ParentsWalter’s FaithMattie’s FaithMarriage, & Pregnancies

Mattie’s Depression - 1927

Willard MasonProblems with Creditors“Recovery”

Shirley’s Problems with Religion

Mary MasonMattie’s guidance Angry because God would not answer her

prayers.

School Age Shirley

Struggled to make friends due to her religion.

Developed anxiety in the 6th grade. Developed somatic symptomsDiagnosed with AnemiaBecame reclusiveDiagnosed with “loneliness” -1935

Dr. Cornelia Wilbur

Cornelia “Connie” Burwell

Arthur Burwell & “Pure Science” – Connie’s Father

Bertie – Connie’s MotherPoughkeepsie, NYArthur’s opinion on women.Winnwood and “the Mind Cure”.

Connie’s Education

William Smith Women’s College◦Liberal Arts

University of Michigan◦Chemistry & Aviation ◦Graduated in 1930; went on to become a

Chemical Librarian

Connie’s Early 20’s

A “cure” for athlete’s foot◦And a Failure

“Marrying for Money”◦Henry March Wilbur

Graves’ Disease Returned to the University of Michigan to

study Psychiatry

Flora Schreiber

Flora Schreiber

William & Ester SchreiberBorn 1916Spoiled, Only ChildStarted “writing” as a two year old.Irving Aronson

◦Change in BehaviorVery DramaticLacked Friends in School

Flora’s Education

Columbia University’s Teachers CollegeNew College & “The Community”Studying Abroad in London

Dr. Cornelia Wilbur

Connie’s Early Psychiatry Experience

Hysterics & CharcotPeirre Janet & Hypnotization Dr. Robert Dieterle -1933Kalamazoo Sate HospitalShock TreatmentsUniversity of Michigan’s Psychopathic

Hospital

Pontiac, Michigan◦Barbituates

Clarkson Memorial Hospital, Omaha◦Rosie the Riveter of Mental Illness

End of World War IISummer of 1945 – Meeting Shirley Mason

Shirley Post- High School

Original Symptoms & ImprovementWorked for her FatherMankato State Teachers College,

Minnesota◦Interest in Freud

Black outs and Other “Spells’Dr. Henry Wolman – Diagnosed as a

Hysteric.Kicked out of College in 1943

Shirley & Dr. Wilbur’s First Meeting

Mutual AttractionAdventism & DrugsShirley soon becomes dependentShirley’s panic attackTransference/countertransferenceDr. Wilbur leaves Omaha

Shirley’s improvement post Dr. Wilbur

University of OmahaMattie Mason’s DeathFlorence EichmanPorter Hospital & Sanitarium – DenverMemphis, Michigan – Teaching1953 – Applies to Graduate School

New York

Connie moved to New York to learn Psychoanalysis.

New York Medical CollegeFrederick Keith Brown Opens her own practice1953- The Three Faces of Eve

Shirley & Connie Reunite

October 1954SymptomsImmediately started taking habit forming

drugsFugue-State Diagnosis

Peggy

Shirley’s first presented alter10 days after receiving fugue-state

diagnosisDescription

Vicky

Three days later, Vicky, the second alter presents herself.

Peggy Ann/Peggy LouDr. Wilbur diagnoses Shirley with Multiple

Personality DisorderJohn Greenwood

Pentothal

Bringing out traumasShirley earns her Master’s DegreeWillie Price

Breaking Ethical Guidelines

Selling Shirley’s art workPaid for Shirley’s medical school tuitionPaid her rentOver medicating her patientDiscussing other patients with ShirleyHiring Shirley to work for herDoing Psychoanalysis for freeWeekend Trips

More alters

Peggy AnnPeggy LouVickyMike HelenMary

Admitting to Making up her alters

May 1958Wrote a Letter to Dr. WilburDr. Wilbur convinced her that this was her

unconscious way of avoiding treatment.Dr. Wilbur diagnosis Mattie Mason with

Schizophrenia.

More Personalities & Traumas

Committing to her DiagnosisThe Wheat CribClara

Drug Addiction

Penthothal made her more anxious and depressed.

Hospitalized to break her barbiturates addiction

Moving closer to the Doctor

Flora begins “faking” psychiatric stories

As told by stories

Dr. Herbert Spiegel

Psychiatrist specializing in hypnotizationSpeculated that Dr. Wilbur was pressuring

Shirley into alter personalities.

The Cure

Flora agrees to write to book, but only if Shirley gets better.

The BlondeIntegration

Point Pleasant & The University of Kentucky

The Start of the BookShirley blooms in Point PleasantConnie gets out of hand at the University

of Kentucky

The Edit

Flora’s SkepticismAmsterdamThe WoodsAdding in Fiction

The Book

May 22nd 1973Television appearancesThe promotion campaignAffects on the country

The Film

Stewart Stern – Made for TV MovieHis SkepticismMore Fiction

Threats to Shirley’s Anonymity

Childhood friendsCut off from friends and familyWillie PriceThe Mayflower ShopMoved to Kentucky to be closer to Dr.

Wilbur

Flora’s Demise and Death

The ShoemakerNovember 3rd1988

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRBZ0Kjisl4

The Open House

A hospital for women with MPD.StaffMore poor ethical conductClosed down in 1980

What was really wrong with Shirley?

Entered the hospital in the 1980s for non-psychiatric reasons.

Pernicious anemia

Connie’s Death

April 1992 of a heart attackHer Records

MPD after Connie’s Death

MPD: They Syndrome of the 90sThe FBI investigationSuing Psychiatrists

Changes to the DSM

1980- Multiple Personality 1987 – Multiple Personality Disorder 1994 – Dissociative Identity Disorder

The End of Shirley’s Life

After Connie’s death, she became reclusive and attempted to sell her art to make money.

February 26th 1988

Summary Questions

Do you think MPD/DID is a real thing?How do you think Dr. Willbur reacted/felt

after finding out that she’d spent so much time unaware of what was really wrong with Shirley?

Do you think she realized that she was wrong?

Do you think one story today could change psychiatric medicine as well as the culture the way it did with Sybil?