The great pretender : the undercover mission that changed our understanding of madness

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: center; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica; min-height: 17.0px} p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'} p.p4 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Times New Roman'; min-height: 15.0px} From "one of America's most courageous young journalists" (NPR) comes a propulsive narrative history investigating the 50-year-old mystery behind a dramatic experiment that changed the course of modern medicine. For centuries, doctors have struggled to define mental illness-how do you diagnose it, how do you treat it, how do you even know what it is? In search of an answer, in the 1970s a Stanford psychologist named David Rosenhan and seven other people — sane, normal, well-adjusted members of society - went undercover into asylums around America to test the legitimacy of psychiatry's labels. Forced to remain inside until they'd "proven" themselves sane, all eight emerged with alarming diagnoses and even more troubling stories of their treatment. Rosenhan's watershed study broke open the field of psychiatry, closing down institutions and changing mental health diagnosis forever. But, as Cahalan's explosive new research shows, very little in this saga is exactly as it seems. What really happened behind those closed asylum doors, and what does it mean for our understanding of mental illness today? From "one of America's most courageous young journalists" (NPR) comes a propulsive narrative history investigating the fifty-year-old mystery behind a dramatic experiment that changed the course of modern medicine. For centuries, doctors have struggled to define mental illness--how do you diagnose it, how do you treat it, how do you even know what *it* is? In search of an answer, in the 1970s a Stanford psychologist named David Rosenhan and seven other people--sane, normal, well-adjusted members of society--went undercover into asylums around America to test the legitimacy of psychiatry's labels. Forced to remain inside until they'd "proven" themselves sane, all eight emerged with alarming diagnoses and even more troubling stories of their treatment. Rosenhan's watershed study broke open the field of psychiatry, hastening the closing of institutions and changing mental health diagnosis forever. But, as Cahalan's explosive new research shows, very little in this saga is exactly as it seems. What really happened behind those closed asylum doors, and what does it mean for our understanding of mental illness today? "Breathtaking! Cahalan's brilliant, timely, and important book reshaped my understanding of mental health, psychiatric hospitals, and the history of scientific research. A must-read for anyone who's ever been to therapy, taken a brain-altering drug, or wondered why mental patients were released in droves in the 1980s. And a thrilling, eye-opening read even for those who thought they weren't affected by the psychiatric world." --**ADA CALHOUN**, author of *St. Marks Is Dead* and *Wedding Toasts I'll Never Give* This description comes from the publisher. "In 2009, 24-year-old Susannah Cahalan hovered on the precipice between life and death. Even as her doctors informed her family that she had incurable schizophrenia and would spend the rest of her short life in an institution, another doctor down the hall performed one final, informal test that, miraculously, delivered a lifesaving diagnosis: her disease was brought on by a physical problem and therefore treatable -- more ""real, "" in other words, than the intangible problem of a purely mental illness. Susannah is the rare patient who has experienced both sides of this divide: the compassionate response to a treatable, physical diagnosis and the frightening realities of the label of insanity. Obsessed with that same dichotomy, psychiatrist David Rosenhan published a study in 1974 in the prestigious journal Science titled ""On Being Sane in Insane Places." Eight people -- sane, normal, well-adjusted members of society -- checked themselves into mental institutions with a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia forced to remain until they'd "proven" themselves sane. Rosenhan's watershed report, built on the data they collected, broke open the field of psychiatry, closing down institutions and changing mental health diagnosis forever. But the story doesn't end there: as Cahalan's explosive new research shows, very little in this saga is exactly as it seems. The more we learn about the study, the more questions emerge about what really happened behind those closed doors. How far have we come in answering the question that David Rosenhan posed all those years ago: "If sanity and insanity exist, how shall we know them"?"--Provided by publisher Shortlisted for the 2020 Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize Named a Best Book of 2020 by The Guardian * The Telegraph * The Times "One of America's most courageous young journalists" and the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling memoir Brain on Fire investigates the shocking mystery behind the dramatic experiment that revolutionized modern medicine (NPR ). Doctors have struggled for centuries to define insanity—how do you diagnose it, how do you treat it, how do you even know what it is? In search of an answer, in the 1970s a Stanford psychologist named David Rosenhan and seven other people—sane, healthy, well-adjusted members of society—went undercover into asylums around America to test the legitimacy of psychiatry's labels. Forced to remain inside until they'd "proven" themselves sane, all eight emerged with alarming diagnoses and even more troubling stories of their treatment. Rosenhan's watershed study broke open the field of psychiatry, closing down institutions and changing mental health diagnosis forever. But, as Cahalan's explosive new research shows in this real-life detective story, very little in this saga is exactly as it seems. What really happened behind those closed asylum doors? For Centuries, Doctors Have Struggled To Define Mental Illness--how Do You Diagnose It, How Do You Treat It, How Do You Even Know What It Is? In Search Of An Answer, In The 1970s A Stanford Psychologist Named David Rosenhan And Seven Other People--sane, Normal, Well-adjusted Members Of Society--went Undercover Into Asylums Around America To Test The Legitimacy Of Psychiatry's Labels. Forced To Remain Inside Until They'd Proven Themselves Sane, All Eight Emerged With Alarming Diagnoses And Even More Troubling Stories Of Their Treatment. Rosenhan's Watershed Study Broke Open The Field Of Psychiatry, Closing Down Institutions And Changing Mental Health Diagnosis Forever. But, As Cahalan's Explosive New Research Shows, Very Little In This Saga Is Exactly As It Seems. What Really Happened Behind Those Closed Asylum Doors, And What Does It Mean For Our Understanding Of Mental Illness Today? Susannah Cahalan. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "Doctors have struggled for centuries to define insanity--how do you diagnose it, how do you treat it, how do you even know what it is? In search of an answer, in the 1970s a Stanford psychologist named David Rosenhan and seven other people--sane, healthy, well-adjusted members of society--went undercover into asylums around America to test the legitimacy of psychiatry's labels. Forced to remain inside until they'd 'proven' themselves sane, all eight emerged with alarming diagnoses and even more troubling stories of their treatment. Rosenhan's watershed study broke open the field of psychiatry, closing down institutions and changing mental health diagnosis forever. But, as Cahalan's explosive new research shows in this real-life detective story, very little in this saga is exactly as it seems. What really happened behind those closed asylum doors, and what does it mean for our understanding of mental illness today?"--Back cover Mirror image -- Nellie Bly -- The seat of madness -- On being sane in insane places -- A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma -- The essence of David -- "Go slowly, and perhaps not at all" -- "I might not be unmasked" -- Committed -- Nine days inside a madhouse -- Getting in -- ...And only the insane knew who was sane -- W. Underwood -- Crazy eights -- Ward 11 -- Soul on ice -- Rosemary Kennedy -- The truth seeker -- "All other questions follow from that" -- Criterionating -- The SCID -- The footnote -- "It's all in your mind" -- Shadow mental health care system -- The hammer -- An epidemic -- Moons of Jupiter -- index. xi None Mirror Image Nellie Bly The Seat of Madness On Being Sane in Insane Places A Riddle Wrapped in a Mystery Inside an Engima None The Essence of David "Go slowly, and perhaps not at all" "I might not be unmasked" Committed Nine Days Inside a Madhouse None Getting In ...And Only the Insane Knew Who Was Sane W. Underwood Crazy Eights Ward 11 Soul on Ice Rosemary Kennedy None The Truth Seeker "All Other Questions Follow from That" Criterionating The SCID None The Footnote "It's All In Your Mind" Shadow Mental Health Care System The Hammer An Epidemic Moons of Jupiter None None None None