Rosenhan Experiment

The Rosenhan Experiment, conducted in 1973 by psychologist David Rosenhan, aimed to test the validity of psychiatric diagnoses. Volunteers, claiming to hear voices, sought admission to mental hospitals, but otherwise behaved normally afterward. Despite acting normally, they were all diagnosed with mental illnesses and hospitalized for days. The hospital staff often couldn't distinguish the sane from the insane, leading to the conclusion that psychiatric diagnoses were unreliable and that labels could distort perceptions. The study highlighted the potential for misdiagnosis in mental health and called into question the objectivity of psychiatric assessments.