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.

Analogy

It's like going to a mechanic with a perfectly working car but pretending it has issues. If the mechanic diagnoses problems and tries to fix them, it shows that their diagnostic process might not be reliable.

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.