Uncovering the ‘pseudo patients’ from the famous ‘Rosenhan Experiment’

The “Rosenhan Experiment” is one of the most influential psychology experiments in history.  In 1973, psychologist David Rosenhan published, “On Being Sane in Insane Places.” Rosenhan wrote about enlisting eight sane people to fake hearing voices and get admitted to separate psychiatric hospitals.  These undercover agents, whom he referred to as “pseudo patients,” were asked to document the minutest details of their treatment.  In collecting their data, Rosenhan claimed to demonstrate that psychiatry could not tell the difference between sanity and insanity.  The paper was hugely controversial, but it remains one of the most cited critiques of the field of psychiatry.

Nearly half a century after Rosenhan’s study was published in the journal Science, investigative reporter Susannah Cahalan set out to find the eight pseudo patients who’d participated in Rosenhan’s study.  What she found out about the patients and their work was astounding.  It became the subject of her book, “The Great Pretender,” and shattered previous ideas about Rosenhan, from supporters and detractors alike.  On this episode of The Pulse, we follow Susannah on her quest and hear from the pseudo patients themselves about their experiences in this famous experiment.

Our friends at Snap Judgment captured the first part of Susannah’s story, where she recounts her personal journey navigating the mental health system and how a last-minute discovery changed her life.