Rosenhan experiment

Rosenhan experiment is a famous study conducted by psychologist David Rosenhan in 1973. The experiment was a critique of the reliability of psychiatric diagnosis and had a significant impact on the field of psychiatry.

Background

The Rosenhan experiment was conducted in two parts. The first part involved the use of healthy associates or "pseudopatients" who briefly simulated auditory hallucinations in an attempt to gain admission to 12 different psychiatric hospitals in five different states in various locations in the United States. All were admitted and diagnosed with psychiatric disorders. After admission, the pseudopatients acted normally and told staff that they felt fine and had no longer experienced any additional hallucinations. All were forced to admit to having a mental illness and agree to take antipsychotic drugs as a condition of their release.

The second part of his study involved an offended hospital challenging Rosenhan to send pseudopatients to its facility, whom its staff would then detect. Rosenhan agreed and in the following weeks out of 193 new patients, the staff identified 41 as potential pseudopatients, with 19 of these receiving suspicion from at least one psychiatrist and one other staff member. In fact, Rosenhan had sent no one to the hospital.

Impact

The study concluded "it is clear that we cannot distinguish the sane from the insane in psychiatric hospitals" and also illustrated the dangers of dehumanization and labeling in psychiatric institutions. It suggested that the use of community mental health facilities which concentrated on specific problems and behaviors rather than psychiatric labels might be a solution and recommended education to make psychiatric workers more aware of the social psychology of their facilities.

Criticism

The experiment has been criticized on several grounds. Some critics argue that the pseudopatients' symptoms were so dramatic and unusual that it was unreasonable to expect hospital staff to see through them. Others argue that psychiatric diagnoses are inherently subjective and that the experiment was uncontrolled and unscientific.

See also

• Psychiatry
• Psychiatric diagnosis
• Deinstitutionalization
• Community mental health services

References

Rosenhan experiment Resources
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