In Memoriam: Mary V. Seeman, MD, An Inadequate Appreciation

PSYCHIATRIC VIEWS ON THE DAILY NEWS

For doing our intermittent psychiatrist eulogies, and despite the internet, it is getting harder and harder to find out about psychiatrists who have passed away. The only organizational source I know is the American Psychiatric Association (APA)’s every 3 months listing of psychiatrists who were members and died, but even this listing is hard to find.

Unfortunately, I just experienced another example, but better late than never, as the saying goes. I had emailed the Toronto, Canada psychiatrist Mary Seeman a couple of times in recent weeks but did not receive my usual quick response. On the first day of Rosh Hashanah, which begins the Jewish High Holy Days, I started to worry, given her age and loss of her beloved husband not too long ago. I found the APA list from April through June and, sure enough, she was on it. We now know that she could not be put in the Jewish High Holy Days “Book of Life” for next year.

Once I knew that, it was easy to find out more. She died on April 23, 2024, at the age of 89.

One of my usual sources is Legacy Remembers. At best, for prior psychiatrist eulogies, I might find a page or 2 of comments. For Mary, it was 69 pages of comments! That probably says it all. She was beloved both personally and professionally. Here are some selected reflections in order of submission:

“I only got to know Mary after she retired, but our histories as child survivors of the Holocaust bonded us strongly.”

“There aren’t enough words to describe my grandmother (Nan) and the impact that she had on the world and those around her.”

“Wise, compassionate, a master at limericks, always ready to listen and guide in a subtle and effective fashion.”

“I knew Mary as a wonderful psychiatrist, a unique person interested in arts and humanities.”

“She was a role model and a mentor and was very reluctant to give me a ‘diagnosis’ which I really appreciated.”

“For me she is immortal.”

“Brilliant, curious, responsive, humble, supportive - someone who cared deeply about her work and the people around her. Humanity at its finest.”

“Fearless, visionary, compassionate and generous, she broke ground for all of us who followed in women’s mental health.”

“Her clients loved her and felt protected by her.”

“I was always so surprised at the keen interest she had in following my son’s journey through life with a disability.”

“Dr. Mary Seeman was my very first psychiatrist. She was like a motherly figure to me. She was a pioneer in not over medicating, but treating those like me with schizophrenia with dignity.”

“Mary was a wonderful friend to me. She was more generous with her time than anyone I’ve ever known and her judgment was invaluable.”

“Mary embodied ‘recover’ before it was known as a model to follow.”

“She and her husband, Phil, were a remarkable power couple.”

“Attaching names and dignity to all peoples of all backgrounds, for posterity, is what mattered to her.”

I contacted colleagues I knew in Toronto and Canada for their feedback and it too was inspiring. David Goldbloom shared a superb upcoming article for the Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, written by Robert Zipursky, her son Neil Seeman, and David himself, titled “Mary V. Seeman: In Memoriam.”

Vincenzo Di Nicola, our Psychiatric Times columnist, wrote me to share:

“Besides reading her articles, my first encounter with Mary Seeman was when I did my Royal College oral exam in 1986. She was delightful and put me at ease and through her questions demonstrated her great sensitivity both to the patient I interviewed and myself as an examinee. Her work on schizophrenia has changed and enhanced our understanding of this, especially its impact on women. Later, she generously supported me to become a Distinguished Fellow of the Canadian Psychiatric Association and her recommendation was a reward in itself. Finally, I am deeply moved by her family story as a survivor of the Holocaust in Poland and the volume on ‘Anti-Semitism and Psychiatry’ that she co-edited with Steve Moffic.”

Dr Di Nicola mentioned where and when I came to know her best. Following the publication of Islamophobia and Psychiatry, I was looking for another Jewish psychiatrist coeditor for the requested volume Anti-Semitism and Psychiatry and she readily agreed, becoming a superb style editor and the author of her own very moving and informative Holocaust story.

Soon after the book’s publication, she wrote a short article for McGill Health e-News titled “A painful memory,” published on September 29, 2021.¹ It described an emotionally painful surprise interaction with a supervisor when she was a 3rd year medical student. Erroneously contacting him by mistake instead of the family doctor when her mother was having a very painful gall bladder attack, he replied:

“I am not that sniveling Jew doctor. I don’t treat dogs and I don’t treat Jews.”

My last communication with her was about the 10/7/23 invasion of Israel by Hamas:

“Steve, you always known the right words to say, but this time, there are no words.”

And, despite all these words about Mary, none suffice to honor her enough.

Dr Moffic is an award-winning psychiatrist who specialized in the cultural and ethical aspects of psychiatry and is now in retirement and retirement as a private pro bono community psychiatrist. A prolific writer and speaker, he has done a weekday column titled “Psychiatric Views on the Daily News” and a weekly video, “Psychiatry & Society,” since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. He was chosen to receive the 2024 Abraham Halpern Humanitarian Award from the American Association for Social Psychiatry. Previously, he received the Administrative Award in 2016 from the American Psychiatric Association, the one-time designation of being a Hero of Public Psychiatry from the Speaker of the Assembly of the APA in 2002, and the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill in 1991. He is an advocate and activist for mental health issues related to climate instability, physician burnout, and xenophobia. He is now editing the final book in a 4-volume series on religions and psychiatry for Springer: Islamophobia, anti-Semitism, Christianity, and now The Eastern Religions, and Spirituality. He serves on the Editorial Board of Psychiatric Times.

Reference

1. Seeman MV. A painful memory. McGill Health e-News. September 29, 2021. Accessed October 15, 2024. https://healthenews.mcgill.ca/a-painful-memory/