Miller, Mark, and Barbara Kantrowitz.
Mark and Barbara, by writing this magazine article, were trying to take apart the story of Sybil, or Shirley Ardell Mason, and to inform the reader on the life of Sybil and how Multiple Personality Disorder (MPD) affected her and those around her. It mainly focuses on the books' affect on the world, North America in general, as most of the reported cases of MPD since the book's release, was in North America. And Mason's upbringing and her life after she met Wilbur, her psychiatrist and life long friend.
This magazine article debunked some of the things that happened in the book Sybil as it was "A Re-Examination of the Most Famous Psychiatric Patient in History". And find out how true the book actually was. For instance, the article put in a quote that said that the worst abuse in the book, most likely did not happen. The article presented facts about Mason and the things she said that could prove that she didn't actually have MPD. As an example, Mason sent a letter to Wilbur 1950's that recanted the allegations of abuse upon her. Later on, Wilbur said that the letter most likely indicated that Mason was in denial regarding the abuse.
This article taught me about the life of Sybil and how and how the book written in Sybil's honor, may not have been entirely true. Which would mess up everything that has happened regarding MPD since the book's release. As it was this book that popularized MPD and made it a common occurrence. This article was helpful, because it helped me understand how MPD occurs and who was, in essence, Patient X. It also assisted in my understanding that MPD is very serious condition that involves extensive abuse to have it happen.
McLeod, Beth. "When the Mind Splits." Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, FL).
Sept. 26 1990: 1D+. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Jan. 2016.
This newspaper article written by Beth Mcleod, was written for the purpose to inform the readers about the disorder and the skepticism that experts have about it.
