Dr. Jerry Bergman
Montpelier, Ohio
One of my most memorable events was related to me by a colleague, Dr. Steven Rohrs, when I was a therapist at Arlington Psychological Associates.
He was asked to evaluate a girl for use of methylphenidate (Ritalin) to deal with her hyperactivity. Methylphenidate is a stimulant that treats attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by improving one’s focus. Even in his office, she fidgeted most of the time during the consultation.
She was in 3rd grade, hated school, and was barely passing. It was obvious as to why. The school psychologist strongly advised Ritalin.
My colleague, an MD, was hesitant to prescribe the drug and suggested that the mother, a teacher, take her daughter out of school and homeschool her.
The mother said she had to work to support the family. He then suggested she enroll her daughter in a school that teaches dancing, adding “the main part of her day should be as a dance student.
Her homeschooling would only require a few hours a day.” “But, as a third grader, she would be too young to enroll in dance school” her mom warned. “Let me take care of that. One of my past clients was a teacher at a leading dance school.”
She enrolled in the school as the youngest student, but clearly one of the most talented. My colleague lost track of her.
Almost 30 years later, Mrs. Rohrs noticed someone knocking at her front door. When she opened it, a woman asked to see Dr. Rohrs, adding that he was her “previous therapist.”
“Well come right in,” Mrs. Rohrs said, as she opened up the door. “Hi, Dr. Rohrs. Do you remember me? I was the third grader whom you advised my mother to take me out of school and take up dance.
I want to tell you that, aside from marrying my husband, that was the most important day of my life.” She then gave the doctor a big hug, adding “I worked hard and enjoyed every second of dance, and danced professionally in movies, plays, and eventually worked with Andrew Lloyd Webber on several of his plays including ‘The Phantom Of The Opera,’ ‘Cats, ‘Evita’ and others.
I am astonished at my success. Oh, this is my husband, and my manager,” she added. “We have wealth we never dreamed of due to my having a career beyond my wildest dreams. You are to thank.”
Dr. Rohrs told me this was his most successful client and was overjoyed to have learned that things turned out so well due to his very unorthodox advice.
A few people he tried to help did not turn out so well. The suicides that come to mind were few, but even one is too many.
The Second Story— I will let him tell it
“I am a widower and work part-time in town at the local hardware store. To save money, and get some exercise, I walk to work cutting through a neighbor’s yard.
On the way, I noticed a yellow cocker spaniel chained to his dog house in a fenced yard. I was told the family did not allow dogs in the house, so they kept him in a dog house in their backyard.
Each time I walked by, their dog became very excited, so I would pet him. I am not a dog person, but my neighbor is, so I am familiar with dogs.
One cold snowy day, I noticed the dog I called Fido, for a lack of a better name, was obviously very cold and shivering. Frankly, that bothered me, not because I am a dog lover but because I am a human.
On the way back home, I noticed he had chewed his dog collar that was connected to the chain, and was attempting to climb the fence, obviously attempting to get out.
Not knowing what else to do, I lifted him up (he weighed, at most, 30 pounds) and put him down on the snow; he then followed me home and into my house. I could not put him back in the very cold snow in the fenced-in yard.
My neighbor gave me some dog food and a few instructions about how to care for him. Frankly, I thoroughly enjoyed his company. At the advice of my neighbor, I took Fido to the vet.
He was about two years old and was in good health except for an ear infection. At home, he sat on my lap as I watched television, then slept in my bed with me. He was now my dog, my first one.
No one came for him and he has been with me now for eight years. He was a loyal, forever friend constantly by my side. I shudder when I think of him shivering on that cold day.”
Case Number Three
The last case involved a probationer. His wife, who came to pick him up, was an obese woman. Her fat jiggled like a water-filled balloon as she walked. With her was their darling two-year-old son.
Her husband , once a star football player, was injured during a game and never played again. He had been in a bar fight. This surprised me because anyone who tangled with him, a slightly overweight, 6-foot-7, muscle-bound male, must have been drunk.
She said to me, radiating sadness, “If he would just be a father to his son, who adores him, and take care of his family. That is all I want. We could have a good life, but he keeps getting in trouble due to drinking.”
The memory of that family stays with me to this day. She just wanted a happy family, nothing more, yet, at least when I saw her, had eluded her.
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Dr. Jerry Bergman has taught biology, genetics, chemistry, biochemistry, anthropology, geology, and microbiology for over 40 years at several colleges and universities including Bowling Green State University, Medical College of Ohio where he was a research associate in experimental pathology, and The University of Toledo. He is a graduate of the Medical College of Ohio, Wayne State University in Detroit, the University of Toledo, and Bowling Green State University. He has over 1,800 publications in 12 languages and 60 books and monographs. His books and textbooks that include chapters that he authored are in over 1,500 college libraries in 27 countries. All 60 of Bergman’s books are on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and other bookstores.