Showing the world how a mentally ill label can be given to even the most sanest of people.
"If sanity and insanity exist, how shall we know them?" - Bonkers Institute
"If sanity and insanity exist, how shall we know them?" - Bonkers Institute
What is it?An experiment split into two parts: one was planned out and the other half was a huge learning experience. Dr. David Rosenhan set a ton of people of his choosing to mental hospitals all over to see if doctors and nurses could see the difference between them and their actual patients. The people Dr. Rosenhan sent to observe the treatments of the asylums were called his "pseudopatients." The pseudopatients fake symptoms of a mental disorder, however, when they were admitted they went back to their sane selves and stopped acting. Still, the doctors and nurses diagnosed them as insane and would not let them leave even after telling the doctors they were sane. The pseudopatients had to finally admit what the doctors wanted them to, that they were insane, and had to pretend to get better(since they faked the illness) in order to be released.
As stated by the website Holah Psychology, the pseudopatients gave the admitting hospital staff details that were true to their real life, the only false statement was that they were hearing a voice that kept saying "empty," "thud," and "hollow"
Important to remember is that as stated by Psychology Wizard, the pseudopatients were there to observe how the staff treated the patients, and were planning to be there only a few days. This turned into longer, until they could convince the staff they were better.
Also stated by Holah Psychology is that even in taking notes and writing down observations were in the open because no one took them seriously.
An interesting observation in this study is that after the first study had been completed, when doctors at mental hospitals became aware of the experiment, they started to recognize their own patients as "pseudopatients " they thought were sent by Dr. Rosenhan. In doing so they were observing how mentally well actual real patients were. If they were so mentally ill, why then, are they observed as not when staff were afraid of diagnosing a person and it ending up being a pseudopatients . If mental illness were concrete, then there should be no question a mentally ill person isn't well and vice versa.
As noted by the website One Dio, when these pseudopatients were released they still were not given the label of "sane," they were said to be "in remission."How does it relate?The Rosenhan experiment demonstrates that no matter how a "mentally ill" person acts and how "well behaved" they are, they will always be seen as mentally ill. Everything they do will be because of their mental illness. This also demonstrates that even in a moment of weakness a person can be given a label of mentally ill. This also shows that we as a society brainwash people into believing they are mentally unfit because they are going through a tough time. These tough times can led a person into a lifetime of dependency to the psychiatry field in the form of treatment.
As quoted by the website, Frontier Psychiatrist, taken from Rosenhan's experiment states “It is clear that we cannot distinguish the sane from the insane in psychiatric hospitals“
Numerous resources state that the notes of Dr. Rosenhan observes that when other patients felt like those pseudopatients were "writers" those thoughts were dismissed as the ramblings of a mentally ill patient even though, the pseudopatients were writers. As stated by Holah Psychology, the real patients would tell the staff about how they feel the pseudopatients were undercover and they were not believed. Writing off a "mentally ill" words as visions and hallucinations even though they are facts shows that when someone is thought to be mentally ill, they will never be believed. A person who displays the signs of the symptoms of a mental illness will always seen as ill no matter how much of what they say is based on facts. A person displaying the signs of a mental illness will never be taken seriously, or be entitled to say, or do anything without it being labeled as part of their illness. This may seem like something that ended long ago, but it is still alive and well. When someone is mentally ill and comes out with a rape allegation they are seen as delusional and a liar even if that allegation is true.
If these pseudopatients displayed the signs of being mentally well and were still diagnosed as being mentally ill after admission,how well can we trust in the idea that mental illness can be spotted and observed. Lets also think about how can we diagnose someone as being mentally ill or mentally well if this experiment shows that even well trained doctors can not.
We still give people labels
Although this experiment was orchestrated a long time ago and because of this experiment psychiatry field stated they changed their ways to be more humane, this type of behavior is still observed today. Labeling someone as mentally ill, sometimes without even seeing them directly as observed with TV psychiatrists and the media labeling a person as mentally ill just because of their behavior without even talking to them . Even if a person is diagnosed as mentally ill, even when they are "sane" anything they do from that point forward is seen as apart of their mental illness. This is very evident with Dr.Phil and Dr. Drew (although I am a huge fan of his),
This is also seen when someone snaps, people will always feel they can tell, but if they could tell why didn't they do anything? Or, a person will say, they never knew, a gunman could've been a happy family man.
The truth is, no one can ever know who is mentally ill or not and it scares us. The best scenario is to treat everyone you meet with kindness because everyone deserves kindness and compassion no matter if they are mentally ill or not.
As noted by site Psychology Wizard, the label of having a mental illness will last with you throughout your lifetime. all of your actions will be seen as apart of your mental illness no matter how "sane" you really are. Are we extremely suicidal and depressed because of our depression, or does this labeling of our emotions and how we should and should not behave and feel make it worse?
As stated by the website Holah Psychology, the pseudopatients gave the admitting hospital staff details that were true to their real life, the only false statement was that they were hearing a voice that kept saying "empty," "thud," and "hollow"
Important to remember is that as stated by Psychology Wizard, the pseudopatients were there to observe how the staff treated the patients, and were planning to be there only a few days. This turned into longer, until they could convince the staff they were better.
Also stated by Holah Psychology is that even in taking notes and writing down observations were in the open because no one took them seriously.
An interesting observation in this study is that after the first study had been completed, when doctors at mental hospitals became aware of the experiment, they started to recognize their own patients as "pseudopatients " they thought were sent by Dr. Rosenhan. In doing so they were observing how mentally well actual real patients were. If they were so mentally ill, why then, are they observed as not when staff were afraid of diagnosing a person and it ending up being a pseudopatients . If mental illness were concrete, then there should be no question a mentally ill person isn't well and vice versa.
As noted by the website One Dio, when these pseudopatients were released they still were not given the label of "sane," they were said to be "in remission."How does it relate?The Rosenhan experiment demonstrates that no matter how a "mentally ill" person acts and how "well behaved" they are, they will always be seen as mentally ill. Everything they do will be because of their mental illness. This also demonstrates that even in a moment of weakness a person can be given a label of mentally ill. This also shows that we as a society brainwash people into believing they are mentally unfit because they are going through a tough time. These tough times can led a person into a lifetime of dependency to the psychiatry field in the form of treatment.
As quoted by the website, Frontier Psychiatrist, taken from Rosenhan's experiment states “It is clear that we cannot distinguish the sane from the insane in psychiatric hospitals“
Numerous resources state that the notes of Dr. Rosenhan observes that when other patients felt like those pseudopatients were "writers" those thoughts were dismissed as the ramblings of a mentally ill patient even though, the pseudopatients were writers. As stated by Holah Psychology, the real patients would tell the staff about how they feel the pseudopatients were undercover and they were not believed. Writing off a "mentally ill" words as visions and hallucinations even though they are facts shows that when someone is thought to be mentally ill, they will never be believed. A person who displays the signs of the symptoms of a mental illness will always seen as ill no matter how much of what they say is based on facts. A person displaying the signs of a mental illness will never be taken seriously, or be entitled to say, or do anything without it being labeled as part of their illness. This may seem like something that ended long ago, but it is still alive and well. When someone is mentally ill and comes out with a rape allegation they are seen as delusional and a liar even if that allegation is true.
If these pseudopatients displayed the signs of being mentally well and were still diagnosed as being mentally ill after admission,how well can we trust in the idea that mental illness can be spotted and observed. Lets also think about how can we diagnose someone as being mentally ill or mentally well if this experiment shows that even well trained doctors can not.
We still give people labels
Although this experiment was orchestrated a long time ago and because of this experiment psychiatry field stated they changed their ways to be more humane, this type of behavior is still observed today. Labeling someone as mentally ill, sometimes without even seeing them directly as observed with TV psychiatrists and the media labeling a person as mentally ill just because of their behavior without even talking to them . Even if a person is diagnosed as mentally ill, even when they are "sane" anything they do from that point forward is seen as apart of their mental illness. This is very evident with Dr.Phil and Dr. Drew (although I am a huge fan of his),
This is also seen when someone snaps, people will always feel they can tell, but if they could tell why didn't they do anything? Or, a person will say, they never knew, a gunman could've been a happy family man.
The truth is, no one can ever know who is mentally ill or not and it scares us. The best scenario is to treat everyone you meet with kindness because everyone deserves kindness and compassion no matter if they are mentally ill or not.
As noted by site Psychology Wizard, the label of having a mental illness will last with you throughout your lifetime. all of your actions will be seen as apart of your mental illness no matter how "sane" you really are. Are we extremely suicidal and depressed because of our depression, or does this labeling of our emotions and how we should and should not behave and feel make it worse?
References
Frontierpsychiatrist. (n.d.). The Rosenhan experiment examined. Retrieved November 15, 2017, from http://frontierpsychiatrist.co.uk/the-rosenhan-experiment-examined/
Holah Psychology. (n.d.). Rosenhan. Retrieved November 16, 2017, from http://www.holah.karoo.net/rosenhan.htm
Onedio. (2016, August 25). The Study That Shook The Psychiatry World: The Rosenhan Experiment. Retrieved November 16, 2017, from https://onedio.co/content/the-study-that-shook-the-psychiatry-world-the-rosenhan-experiment-11254
Holah Psychology. (n.d.). AS Psychology - Holah.co.uk - Rosenhan (sane in insane places) Study V2. Retrieved November 16, 2017, from http://holah.co.uk/study/rosenhan/
Radeska, T. (2017, October 20). The Rosenhan experiment challenged the validity of psychiatric diagnoses and treatment in hospitals. Retrieved November 16, 2017, from https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/10/21/guy-de-maupassant-ate-lunch-at-base-of-the-eiffel-tower-everyday-so-hed-be-spared-from-looking-at-it/
DailyMotion. (2012, August 23). Psychiatry Is A Pseudo-Science : The Rosenhan Experiment - THUD - Video Dailymotion. Retrieved November 16, 2017, from http://dai.ly/xt041e
Psychology Wizard. (n.d.). Rosenhan AO1 AO3. Retrieved November 16, 2017, from http://www.psychologywizard.net/rosenhan-ao1-ao3.html
Wikipedia. (2017, October 23). Rosenhan experiment. Retrieved November 16, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosenhan_experiment
Frontierpsychiatrist. (n.d.). The Rosenhan experiment examined. Retrieved November 15, 2017, from http://frontierpsychiatrist.co.uk/the-rosenhan-experiment-examined/
Holah Psychology. (n.d.). Rosenhan. Retrieved November 16, 2017, from http://www.holah.karoo.net/rosenhan.htm
Onedio. (2016, August 25). The Study That Shook The Psychiatry World: The Rosenhan Experiment. Retrieved November 16, 2017, from https://onedio.co/content/the-study-that-shook-the-psychiatry-world-the-rosenhan-experiment-11254
Holah Psychology. (n.d.). AS Psychology - Holah.co.uk - Rosenhan (sane in insane places) Study V2. Retrieved November 16, 2017, from http://holah.co.uk/study/rosenhan/
Radeska, T. (2017, October 20). The Rosenhan experiment challenged the validity of psychiatric diagnoses and treatment in hospitals. Retrieved November 16, 2017, from https://www.thevintagenews.com/2017/10/21/guy-de-maupassant-ate-lunch-at-base-of-the-eiffel-tower-everyday-so-hed-be-spared-from-looking-at-it/
DailyMotion. (2012, August 23). Psychiatry Is A Pseudo-Science : The Rosenhan Experiment - THUD - Video Dailymotion. Retrieved November 16, 2017, from http://dai.ly/xt041e
Psychology Wizard. (n.d.). Rosenhan AO1 AO3. Retrieved November 16, 2017, from http://www.psychologywizard.net/rosenhan-ao1-ao3.html
Wikipedia. (2017, October 23). Rosenhan experiment. Retrieved November 16, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosenhan_experiment