Elissa P. Benedek

Elissa Panush Benedek (born September 28, 1936) is an American psychiatrist specializing in child and adolescent psychiatry and forensic psychiatry. She is an adjunct clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Michigan Medical Center. She served as director of research and training at the Center for Forensic Psychiatry in Ann Arbor for 25 years and was president of the American Psychiatric Association from 1990 to 1991. She is regarded as an expert on child abuse and trauma, and has testified in high-profile court cases. She also focuses on ethics, psychiatric aspects of disasters and terrorism, and domestic violence. In addition to her own books, book chapters, and articles, she has collaborated with her husband, attorney Richard S. Benedek, on studies of divorce, child custody, and child abuse.

Elissa P. Benedek
Born
Elissa Panush

(1936-09-28) September 28, 1936
Detroit, Michigan
NationalityAmerican
EducationM.D., University of Michigan, 1960
OccupationAdjunct clinical professor of psychiatry
Medical career
InstitutionsUniversity of Michigan
Sub-specialtiesChild and adolescent psychiatry, forensic psychiatry

Early life and education

Elissa Panush was born in Detroit, Michigan on September 28, 1936[1] to Louis and Tillie Panush.[2] Her father was a school principal and science teacher, and her mother taught in elementary school.[3] She had three sisters.[3][2] She graduated from Central High School in Detroit in 1954 and won a scholarship to the University of Michigan.[4]

She earned her undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan and went on to attend the medical school on the same campus.[3] She chose to specialize in psychiatry since it was one of the few specialties open to women physicians in that era, and would also allow the flexibility of maintaining a medical practice while raising a family.[5] She trained in general psychiatry at the medical school's neuropsychiatric institute and in child psychiatry at the Children's Psychiatric Hospital on campus.[3] She earned her M.D. in 1960, and completed her residency in 1962 and a fellowship in child and adolescent psychiatry in 1964.[5]

Career

After finishing her residency, she began working as a psychiatrist at the York Wood Center, a residential treatment facility for youth in Ypsilanti.[5] She next moved to the Center for Forensic Psychiatry to become associate director of child psychiatry and the center's first director of training and research.[3][5] During her tenure, she helped formulate a forensic fellowship program which later became a joint venture with the University of Michigan.[5] In 1975 she performed a preliminary evaluation of as-yet uncharged serial killer Coral Watts at the center.[6]

By 1991 she was a full professor in clinical psychiatry at the University of Michigan and Wayne State University School of Medicine.[3] She is also a faculty member of the University of Michigan Comprehensive Depression Center.[7] She maintains a private practice in Ann Arbor for child, adolescent, adult, and forensic psychiatry.[5]

She is regarded as an expert on child abuse and trauma, and also focuses on ethics, the psychiatric aspects of disasters and terrorism, and domestic violence.[5] She has testified in numerous high-profile court cases. In 1975 she testified for the defense in the murder trial of Ruth Childers, advancing the psychological theory of battered woman's syndrome first developed by Lenore E. Walker.[8] In the 1980s she testified in the Wee Care Nursery School abuse trial,[9] and was the primary psychiatric witness for Dr. Eric Foretich in his February 1987 civil court proceeding related to the Morgan v. Foretich child custody case.[10] She was accused of child abuse by Foretich's ex-wife Elizabeth Morgan, who surreptitiously filmed Benedek during her examination of her daughter, and was accused of perjury by Morgan's mother, who filed a complaint with the APA over Benedek's testimony that Morgan had probably been abused by her own father.[11][12] She testified for the U.S. government in a 1998 lawsuit against Playboy Television about signal bleed of adult material on cable television.[13]

Benedek mentors medical students, psychiatry residents, and forensic psychiatry fellows at the University of Michigan, allowing the latter to "shadow" her during her courtroom appearances.[5]

Affiliations and memberships

Benedek was president of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) from 1990 to 1991.[3] She was only the second woman to be named to this post since the association was founded in 1844.[5] Previously, she served as vice president (1983–1985), secretary (1985– ), and trustee of the APA.[5][14]

In 2001 she was appointed as a director of the American Council on Science and Health.[15]

Awards and honors

In 2016 Benedek received the Alexandra Symonds Award from the APA and the Association of Women Psychiatrists in recognition of her "significant contributions to promoting women's health and the advancement of women".[5]

Personal life

She met her husband, Richard Sandor Benedek, at the University of Michigan, where he was studying law.[5] He received his J.D. in 1958[16] and they married between Elissa's sophomore and junior years. They have four children.[3][5] Richard maintains a law practice in Ann Arbor. The couple has collaborated on studies of divorce, child custody, and child abuse.[3]

Selected bibliography

Books
  • Principles and Practice of Child and Adolescent Forensic Mental Health. American Psychiatric Pub. 2009. ISBN 978-1585629015. (with Peter Ash and Charles L. Scott)
  • Principles and Practice of Child and Adolescent Forensic Psychiatry. American Psychiatric Pub. 2002. ISBN 978-0-88048-956-0. (with Diane H. Schetky)
  • Benedek, Elissa P. (1999). New Directions for Mental Health Services, Emerging Issues in Forensic Psychiatry. ISBN 978-0-7879-9901-8.
  • How to Help Your Child Overcome Your Divorce. American Psychiatric Pub. 1995. ISBN 978-0880485654. (with Catherine F. Brown) Revised ed. 2001
  • Clinical Handbook of Child Psychiatry and the Law. Williams & Wilkins. 1992. ISBN 978-0-683-07589-2. (with Diane H. Schetky)
  • Juvenile Homicide. American Psychiatric Press. 1989. ISBN 978-0-88048-145-8. (with Dewey G. Cornell)
  • The Secret Worry. Human Sciences Press. 1984. ISBN 978-0-89885-133-5.
  • Emerging Issues in Child Psychiatry and the Law. Brunner/Mazel. 1985. ISBN 978-0-87630-393-1. (with Diane H. Schetky)
  • What Would You Do? A child's book about divorce. Saturday Evening Post Co. 1976. ISBN 9780880483001. (with Barbara S. Cain)

Book chapters
  • Benedek, Elissa P. (2013), "Female Offenders", in Spurlock, Jeanne; Robinowitz, Carolyn B. (eds.), Women's Progress: Promises and Problems, Springer Science+Business Media, p. 159, ISBN 978-1489908551
  • Benedek, Elissa; Vaughn, Richard (2012), "Voluntary Childlessness", in Kirkpatrick, Martha (ed.), Women's Sexual Experience: Explorations of the Dark Continent, Springer Science+Business Media, p. 205, ISBN 978-1468440256
  • Benedek, Elissa P.; Kambam, Praveen (2008), "The Psychiatrist's Role After a School Shooting: The Emergency Room and Beyond", in Miller, Thomas W. (ed.), School Violence and Primary Prevention, Springer Science+Business Media, p. 323, ISBN 978-0387771199
  • Benedek, Elissa P. (1985), "Children and Psychic Trauma: A brief review of contemporary thinking", in Eth, S.; Pynoos, R. S. (eds.), Post-traumatic Stress Disorder in Children, American Psychiatric Press

Articles

References
  1. Edison Press 1973, p. 95.
  2. "Obituary". Mlive.com. 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  3. Robinowitz, Carolyn B. (September 1991). "Elissa P. Benedek, M.D.: One hundred nineteenth president, 1990–1991". American Journal of Psychiatry. 148 (9): 1135–7. doi:10.1176/ajp.148.9.1135. PMID 1882989.
  4. Alzofon, Judy (25 June 1954). "Central High Activities". The Detroit Jewish News. p. 10.
  5. "Alumni Profile: Elissa Benedek, M.D." University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry. 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2017.
  6. Mitchell 2006, p. 38.
  7. "Active Faculty". depressioncenter.org. 2016. Archived from the original on 27 June 2017. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  8. Springer & Roberts 2007, p. 96.
  9. Crowley 1991, p. 248.
  10. Szegedy-Maszak, Marianne (21 May 1989). "Who's to Judge". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  11. Schultz, LeRoy (15 April 2014). "Book Review: Hilary's Trial: The Elizabeth Morgan Case". Institute for Psychological Therapies. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  12. Walsh, Elsa; Torry, Saundra (28 February 1990). "Elder Morgan First to Say Hilary Was Sexually Abused". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  13. Heins 2007, p. 191.
  14. Barton 1987, pp. 340–341.
  15. "American Council on Science and Health Names New Directors (press release)". American Council on Science and Health. 16 April 2001. Retrieved 21 June 2017.
  16. University of Michigan Official Publication. UM Libraries. 1947. p. 55.

Sources
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