Cornelia B. Wilbur
Cornelia B. Wilbur | |
|---|---|
 West Virginia University Faculty, circa 1965 | |
| Born | Cornelia Burwell Wilbur August 26, 1908 |
| Died | April 9, 1992 (aged 83)[1] |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Connie |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupation | Psychiatrist |
Cornelia Burwell Wilbur (August 26, 1908 – April 9, 1992) was an American psychiatrist. She is best known for a book, written by Flora Rheta Schreiber, and two television films titled Sybil, about the psychiatric treatment she rendered to a woman she diagnosed with multiple personalities.
Biography
Early life and education
Cornelia "Connie" Wilbur was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 26, 1908. While she was an infant, her family moved to a ranch in Montana. The family returned to Cleveland in 1918. She was educated in the public schools in Montana and Cleveland.[2]
She attended William Smith College in Geneva, New York, before enrolling at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She received her bachelor's degree and master's degree from the University of Michigan.[2] She then enrolled at the University of Michigan Medical School. While in medical school, she became the first female extern at Kalamazoo State Hospital, where she also successfully treated an agoraphobic girl diagnosed with hysteria.[3] Wilbur graduated with an M.D. in 1939.[2] She was one of eight women in her graduating class.[3]
Academic career
Wilbur became a Diplomate of the American Board of Neurology and Psychiatry in both Neurology and Psychiatry in 1946 and received a certificate in psychoanalysis in 1951. She practiced psychiatry in Omaha, Nebraska; New York City; and Weston, West Virginia.[2]
Wilbur is best known for her work with Shirley Ardell Mason, who was purported to have been severely abused as a child, and who developed 16 alternate personalities as a result. A book, written by Flora Rheta Schreiber, and a television film, both titled Sybil, were accounts of the psychiatric treatment received by Mason while in Wilbur's care. She diagnosed and treated Mason for dissociative identity disorder (then referred to as Multiple Personality Disorder) for 11 years, beginning in 1954.
Wilbur was a pioneer clinician, as well as an educator, researcher, and mentor for others in the field of psychiatry. She was among 77 psychoanalysts contributing to Irving Bieber's Homosexuality: A Psychoanalytic Study of Male Homosexuals (1962),[4] an influential study of the development of male homosexuality.[5]
Wilbur joined the University of Kentucky College of Medicine in 1967, earning an appointment as a professor of psychiatry.[2]
Wilbur lectured around the world about child, spouse, and elder abuse and their repercussions, and advocated parenting education to prevent child abuse. She was also interested in increasing the admission rates of women to medical schools.[6]
In the late 1970s, Wilbur consulted on the case of Billy Milligan, the first man to be acquitted of a crime in the United States by reason of insanity due to multiple personality disorder.
Wilbur was a Life Fellow of the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the American Academy of Psychoanalysis. She was honored by the University of Kentucky Medical College for her Outstanding Contribution to Medical Education. In 1987, she was honored for her Distinguished Achievements by the International Society for the Study of Multiple Personality and Dissociative Disorders. In 1989, Wilbur was presented with a plaque by the Eastern Regional Conference on Multiple Personality, designating her as a "national treasure for her courage and creativity in the treatment of Multiple Personality Disorder."[7]
In all, she published about 50 papers in peer-reviewed professional journals.[8] She ended her career as Professor Emerita at the University of Kentucky Medical College.
Death
Wilbur died at her home in April 1992, after having a stroke.[9][10] In 1991, she had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease.[11]
Controversy
Wilbur's diagnosis of Mason has been questioned, as have her motives and those of Flora Schreiber. [12] One writer, Debbie Nathan, presented material indicating Mason's symptoms did not emerge until after she began treatment with Wilbur. Nathan avers that aspects of the treatment narrative in Sybil were misrepresented.[13]
People related to Shirley Mason attested to the accuracy of Mason's diagnosis.[14][15] Some professionals on dissociative disorders, like Colin A. Ross, have questioned Nathan's theory that Mason's symptoms could be explained by pernicious anemia. Ross acknowledged that Wilbur engaged in boundary violations by present day standards.[16]
Appearances
Old records of Wilbur appear in the documentary Monsters Inside: The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan.[17]
References
- ^ "Doctor for 'Sybil' dies". The Tribune. Associated Press. April 12, 1992. p. 7A.
- ^ a b c d e "Dr. Cornelia Wilbur, psychiatrist played in 'Sybil,' dies at 83". Lexington Herald-Leader. April 11, 1992. p. C1; C14.
- ^ a b Dickstein, Leah J. (1998). "Images in Psychiatry: Cornelia Burwell Wilbur, M.D.". American Journal of Psychiatry. 155 (9): 1274. doi:10.1176/ajp.155.9.1274.
- ^ Bieber, Irving, et al. Homosexuality: A Psychoanalytic Study of Male Homosexuals. New York: Basic Books, 1962.
- ^ Lewes, Kenneth. The Psychoanalytic Theory of Male Homosexuality. New York: Meridian, pp.206-211
- ^ Dickstein, Leah J. (1998). "Images in Psychiatry: Cornelia Burwell Wilbur, M.D.". American Journal of Psychiatry. 155 (9): 1274. doi:10.1176/ajp.155.9.1274.
- ^ "MPD Keynote speaker receives honor". Progress notes: Mount Vernon Hospital's Employee Newsletter. 2 (8): 1. August 1989.
- ^ Wilbur, C. B. (1989). "Keynote address: Rage & MPD". Eastern Regional Conference on Trauma and Dissociation. Alexandria, VA: Audio Transcripts Inc.
- ^ "Dr. Cornelia B. Wilbur". Lexington Herald-Leader. April 11, 1992. p. C14. obituary continued
- ^ Staff and Special Dispatches (April 11, 1992). "Dr. Cornelia Wilbur, therapist noted for 'Sybil' case, dies". The Courier-Journal. p. A11.
- ^ Vanapalli, Viswa (September 23, 2021). "Who Was Billy Milligan's Psychatrist Cornelia Wilbur? Who Was Sybil in Real Life? Was She Cured?". The Cinemaholic.
- ^ Nathan, Debbie (2011). Sybil Exposed: The Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple Personality Case. Free Press. ISBN 9781439168271.
- ^ Wood, James (2012). "End to a Twisted and False Episode in Psychiatry". Skeptical Inquirer. 36 (2). Committee for Skeptical Inquiry: 54–55.
- ^ Suraci, Patrick (December 15, 2011). "Sybil in Her Own Words". HuffPost. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
- ^ Preston, Nancy L. (2012). After Sybil... From the Letters of Shirley Mason. Infinity Publishing. ISBN 978-0741481559.
- ^ Ross, Colin A. (2012). "Sybil Exposed: The Extraordinary Story Behind the Famous Multiple Personality Case , by D. Nathan: (2011). New York, NY: Free Press, 297 pp". Journal of Trauma & Dissociation. 13 (4): 490–493. doi:10.1080/15299732.2012.672392. ISSN 1529-9732.
- ^ Schager, Nick (September 20, 2021). "The Serial Rapist Who Was Acquitted After Claiming to Have 24 Personalities". The Daily Beast.