The next
day, Stieglitz called... to say that O’Keeffe... had suffered a nervous
breakdown.... (S)he left Stieglitz and moved in with her sister and brother-in-law.
She told people she had a bad heart. Lee Stieglitz, Alfred’s doctor brother,
diagnosed her case as “shock.” She stayed at Doctors Hospital, which at
this time was where rich people went to dry out and recover from the excesses
of life. She did not receive advanced medical care in the place.... No
one studied her repression or rages. What she got was time...
.... What really caused
her collapse is lost, however, for O’Keeffe never discussed the matter
in detail, nor did she continue in the therapy the hospital provided for
her....
O’Keeffe:
The Life of an American Legend. Jeffrey Hogrefe