Sybil: Dissociative Identity Disorder

Shirley Ardell Mason also known as (Sybil) was quietly living in Lexington Kentucky, and had ran a art business out of her home in the 1970s. She later died on Feb 26, 1998 from breast cancer due to declining treatment. There was a movie based on Shirley Ardell Mason Life called “Sybil” which came out in 1976, her real name wasn’t used in the book or movie because she wanted to protect her identity. The movie depicted on what Shirley had gone through as child, which included physical, emotional, and severe sexual abuse of the hands of her mother who was diagnosed with Schizophrenia. Due to Shirley’s trauma as a child she was diagnosed with a multiple personality disorder also called dissociative personality disorder, which consisted of 16 distinctive personalities in 1973 diagnosed by her therapist Dr. Cornelia Wilbur. Shirley Ardell Mason was born on January 25, 1923 in Dodge Center, Minnesota. Her parents Walter Mason and Martha Alice Hageman raised Shirley in Dodge center where they were well liked by others.

She allows herself to believe all she is told. She also allows herself to believe that being treated as she is is going to make her better, when in fact it is only making her worse. Her being sent up in a room, like a penitentiary will add loneliness to her illness. Her being told not to write or not to go and see family and friends, again, adds to her loneliness. She is separated from society. Therefore, she feels as though she is alone in society. She gives into the fact that the male-dominated society would rather her alone, than be with lots of women and cause chaos. She gives into everything the world wants instead of listening to her inner self. She ignores herself, causing her to act out in madness. When one does not listen to one's inner self, he or she is then turning away from his or her conscience. It's like the "devil and angel" episode that has been seen in numerous cartoons. If the person listens to the little devil, it will end up being the wrong decision. It the person listens to the little angel, it will be the right decision. The narrator listens to almost neither. She allows what is happening to happen and does nothing but sit back. This would cause anger inside anyone.

In the book Coppers sun , written by Sharon M. Draper, Amari, who is a 15 year olds girl, lives in Africa with her mother, father, brother, and her soon to be husband Besa. At the beginning of the book she is happy and outgoing, but throughout the novel her character beings to change to a sorrowful person. Her character changes due to being taken from her family, getting abused and raped, and her being separated from Besa. Amari and her family live in a small village, Ziavi, with many other Africans. She loves the rusty brown dirt of Ziavi, and the sweet Smell of fruit­laden mango trees would always seem to welcome her home.

“The sword cuts both ways,” Joan Crawford says while at the board meeting after her husband died. Joan Crawford, in the movie Mommie Dearest, shows her confident and no-funny-business type of personality that she is so well respected for, along with her acting career (Koontz & O’Neill, 1981). Also, she displays some good and bad aspects of her many personality disorders. Four of which are particularly prevalent in this movie: obsessive compulsive, borderline, bipolar, and narcissistic.

Dissociative identity disorder (DID) is a psychological condition in which a person will create one or more alternate identities. DID (formerly known as multiple personality disorder) is just one of three dissociative disorders. This disorder is set apart by the way the identities “switch” from one to another. Patients who suffer from dissociative identity disorder can often lead normal lives when diagnosed properly and treated accordingly; sometimes, they cannot. People suffering from dissociative identity disorder often have similar causes, symptoms, and treatments.

Often in novels, characters are faced with justice of some sort. The same can be said for the characters of Barbara Kingsolver’s novel, The Poisonwood Bible. Overall, the best example of this complex character can be seen in the twin Price daughter, Leah. She is the character that stands out when it comes to the injustice that occurs in the Congo. After Ruth May dies, the Price women all journey to leave the Congo.

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) is the “severe condition in which two or more distinct identities, or personality states, are present in—and alternately take control of—an individual” (psychologytoday,2018,1). Dissociative Identity Disorder was first diagnosed in the late 1800s by Doctor Jean-Martin Charcot. This disorder affects about 1 percent of the United States population. This disorder is more common in females than it is in males. For example, Britney Spears has suffered from Dissociative Identity Disorder since 2008. Some of her alter egos include, “The British girl, other alter egos include the weepy girl, the diva, and the incoherent girl” (Ranker, 2018, 1). Therefore, many people have this disorder without anybody even knowing

Sybil Isabel Dorsett, a shy, twenty-two-year-old substitute teacher, became an interesting case, when the Sybil came into a mental health facility complaining of severe memory loss that resulted in unknown store bought items, “waking up,” in strange place, and severe social anxiety that again resulted in a loss of time, and memory, blackouts, and emotional breakdowns, in public places. What was first thought to be hysteria, turned into another problem, after experiencing some of the patients, “hysteria.” Born, and raised in the suburbs of Dodge Center, Minnesota, to a very successful and well respected carpenter, and architect, Walter Mason, and an often described as, “bizarre,” stay-at-home mother, Martha “Mattie” Atkinson. Sybil seemed to have the all-American family, but reports sexual abuse at the hands of her well-respected mother, who was diagnosed with schizophrenia years before Sybil was born. A much respected art teacher at Columbia university, Sybil often teaches art classes to university students.

Sexual molestation, beating, neglect, burning, and verbal abuse. All of these horrible happenings are believed to be linked to a condition known as Multiple personality disorder (MPD). Multiple personality disorder, also known as dissociative identity disorder, is a mental illness in which a person has two or more identities or personalities. Single personalities randomly take control of the individual's behavior. Usually, the sufferer gives the personalities their own names. These multiple personalities almost always have characteristics that greatly differ from the person's primary identity. A person with this disorder always experiences some amount of amnesia. Most of the time the individual forgets

Wilbur began to learn more and more about each different personality. She figured that this was the only answer or way to treat Sybil. She was going to have to treat each of Sybil's separate selves. The way that she was going to have to eventually treat Sybil though was by going into the past and bringing up some of the repressed memories that Sybil had from childhood. She would then have to make Sybil bring together all of the different selves and come to terms with the past and the reality of the present and future. Some of the more flamboyant personalities were Sybil, of course, who was generally shy and withdrawn, Peggy, who was quite aggressive, Vicky, who is quite sophisticated, Mary, who was quite obese, but yet motherly, Vanessa, who had the aura of an actress, baby-Ruthie, who was very childlike, and two energetic, high-spirited young males, Mike and Sid. The treatment of these different selves was going to be an enormous task any way that Dr. Wilbur looked at it. Another odd that was stacked against her was that Sybil was in the guise of the other personalities at least one-third of her life and had no recollection of ever doing any of the things that she did while she was "another self". However, there was an interesting twist to that. The other selves were very aware of Sybil and often spoke of her in sessions. They believed that she was another person and often told Dr. Wilbur that they were there (at session) in Sybil's place for

The one case to put Dissociative Identity Disorder on the map and to actually get this disorder recognized was Sybil Isabel Dorsett’s (Sargent 2007). Sybil was put under severe trauma from her mother when she was a little girl. The way she counteracted the trauma was by making sixteen different personalities (Sargent 2007). She made more than anyone has ever recorded before. Sybil’s real name was actually Shirley Ardell Mason (Neary 2010). There was a book and a movie written about the case. Shirley was treated by a female psychiatrist by the name of Dr. Connie Wilbur (Neary 2010). Wilbur treated Shirley until her death in 1998 (Neary 2010). With Shirley Mason in therapy for Dissociative Identity Disorder, again back then it was named Multiple Personality Disorder, she tried to convince Dr. Wilbur that she was faking the sets of personalities and that she was in perfect health by writing her a letter:

Dissociative Identity Disorder, commonly referred to as Multiple Personality Disorder, exists as a bizarre mental disorder in which a person acquires two

Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), formerly known as Multiple Personality Disorder, is a psychological issue that is quite debilitating to the affected individual. Symptoms of this disorder often mimic those of other physical and mental disorders such as seizure disorder, substance abuse, and post-traumatic stress disorder (“Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder)”, 2012). The distinguishing symptom of Dissociative Identity Disorder, however, is the presence of two or more distinct identities that alternately take control of the individual and this symptom is the main basis and plot of The Secret Window. In addition, the person is plagued by memory losses that cannot be explained by ordinary forgetfulness and may even find items that he or she doesn’t remember buying. (“Dissociative Identity Disorder (Multiple Personality Disorder)”, 2014). Also, the individual may experience unexplained changes in eating

Sybil was filmed in 1976. It's about a young woman named Sybil Dorsett, who has sixteen personalities and is suffering from Dissociative Identity Disorder. The movie begins with Sybil, who is a substitute teacher, at a park with children. In the background, there's an old woman pushing her grandchild on a swing; the creaking of the swing cause Sybil to have a flashback from her childhood that led to a blackout. When she regains consciousness, she finds herself standing in water, with no memory of how she got there. She goes to Dr. Cornelia Wilbur who is a psychiatrist. Sybil begins telling her about the blackouts she is experiencing when fears that they are getting worse. Dr. Wilbur gives Sybil a neurological examination and comes to the

Many people who suffer from this disorder may have suicidal thoughts, bi-polar disorder and also depression .Upon her arrival at the institution she meets some of the patients who she quickly starts to connect and develop a bond with especially with one of the patients named Lisa who is diagnosed as a sociopath. Psychiatrists and psychologists states that a sociopath is someone with a personality disorder who “displays antisocial tendencies that are ascribed to social or environmental factors.” Other definitions include “A pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood.” (Dr.Axe, 2017). With this being said anyone could suffer from a personality disorder and majority of the time it goes unnoticed because we end up blaming other people for the way we feel or react to certain situations. As the movie goes on we are introduced to another woman named Daisy she suffered from compulsive eating disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and also self harm.