Rosenhan Study

Definition

The Rosenhan study was an experiment conducted by psychologist David Rosenhan in which healthy individuals pretended to have hallucinations to be admitted into psychiatric hospitals. The study highlighted the potential dangers and inaccuracies of psychiatric diagnoses.

Related terms

Diagnostic Labeling: This is the process of classifying and naming mental health disorders.

Validity in Diagnosis: This refers to how well a diagnosis measures what it intends to measure - in this case, whether someone truly has a mental disorder.

Deinstitutionalization:

This is the process of replacing long-stay psychiatric hospitals with less isolated community mental health services.