Sadly, there is no shortage of significantly impaired patients with a range of trauma-related pathologies, but DID itself is rarely featured in scientific journals or conferences. The DID “state of the union”: A divide between “us and them” Although studies of the psychological sequelae of trauma are prominent in the literature, DID does not seem to be a common focus for most psychiatrists. Still, perhaps the books suggests the need for a more systematic look at not just the case of Sybil, but also the diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder (DID). The irony is that drawing a superficially reasonable conclusion despite limited evidence is exactly the complaint Nathan levels against those who uncritically accepted the story of Sybil. The revelation that Shirley Mason’s symptoms were actually a result of pernicious anemia also seems like an incomplete explanation. Nathan gives little context to seemingly antiquated psychiatric practices relative to developments in other specialties of medicine, and makes little distinction between “antiquated” and “never appropriate.”įurthermore, embellishments such as the statement that Shirley Mason “spent her free time half-zonked on mind-bending medications,” 2 are less compelling than describing that she was prescribed combinations of barbiturates, opioids, and stimulants. Nathan documents so many accounts of blurred personal, professional, and financial boundaries, suggestive interview techniques, and atypical prescribing methods (most with clear citations), that it would be difficult to accept Shirley Mason’s treatment as representing appropriate psychiatric care.ĭespite the well-founded concerns, the book presents an overly literal interpretation of psychoanalysis and perpetuates inaccurate stereotypes about electroconvulsive therapy. The book is not a work of science, but the criticism of the absence of scientific basis for Sybil’s treatment is not significantly diminished for it. The account of Sybil’s abuse at the hands of her mother does not hold up well in the light of Debbie Nathan’s investigation. Through the eyes of a psychiatrist, it is scathing and occasionally overreaching. Sybil exposed As a work of investigative journalism, Sybil Exposed is simultaneously fascinating and appalling. These documents identify Sybil as Shirley Mason and vigorously refute the idea that the Sybil provides an accurate account of Shirley Mason’s life. Sybil Exposed makes extensive reference to the papers Schreiber left to the John Jay College of Criminal Justice after her death. In Sybil Exposed, 1 author Debbie Nathan evaluates the events presented in the 1973 book Sybil, 2 by Flora Rheta Schreiber, about a young woman in treatment for her multiple personalities.

Sybil movie summary