Psychology : Mental Health Issues

Nearly a century later in 1975, American psychologist David Rosenhan published a paper called "On Being Sane in Insane Places" detailing the experiment that he conducted on psychiatric institutions themselves. The first part of his experiment involved sending pseudopatients (a group of eight totally mentally sound associates, including David himself) to knock on institution doors and falsely report that they 'd been hearing voices. Once admitted, the fake patients abandoned their fake symptoms and behaved as they normally did, waiting for administrators to recognize them as mentally healthy.

In Chapter 3 of Opening Skinner’s Box, “On Being Sane in Insane Places,” Lauren Slater discusses the contentious issue psychiatrists faced in 1972 after psychologist David Rosenhan conducted his most famous experiment, proving how psychiatrists already label patients when they walk through the door to be evaluated. The author, Slater is a psychologist herself in which her writing in this chapter is supportive to Rosenhan’s findings. This may limit supporting arguments on crediting psychiatric conceptualization. The meaning of behavior can easily be misunderstood, a patient can be diagnosed according to the doctor’s capacity of knowledge to specific behaviors.

In another article written by Spitzer, the validity of Rosenhans hypothesis is also critiqued. By questioning the validity of Rosenhans study, his work in to what it means to be deemed ‘psychologically abnormal’ is tainted. Spitzer criticises the study as scientific and instead calls it ‘pseudo science’, (Spitzer, 1975). Spitzer suggests that Rosenhan cannot criticise the institutions for labelling the pseudo patients because the evidence they present when asking for admittance, and then they’re behaviour following hospitalisation, warrants this. He references lists of symptoms from the DMS-II and points out that the nervousness, excessive note taking, and actually asking to be admitted to a psychiatric ward is enough evidence to label an individual as ‘Schizophrenic’. Spitzer suggests that based on the evidence present that hospital staffs were correct to diagnose and label the pseudo patients. This highlights the use of type 2 errors in diagnoses, and as the staff would not normally be

Specific indicators of insanity tend to be partially blurred; therefore, the reasoning behind an admission into a mental hospital is also not

These things, do not establish the mental state of a person. No thorough test has to be taken and a patient’s history on their mental health is rarely complete.

- The original question of the study was: ‘If sanity and insanity exist, how shall we know them?’ but Rosenhan narrowed it down in order to make it easier to answer and less of a philosophical debate. ‘Do the salient characteristics that lead to diagnoses reside in the patients themselves or in the environments and contexts in which observers find them?’ The question was narrowed down to patients, referring to those declared unwell in mind by medical institutions, and wonders whether diagnoses are made based on the patients themselves or preconceived societal notions and the unique living situation within the hospital.

In Opening Skinner’s Box, Lauren Slater explores psychology’s most controversial experiments with her own distinct style. Her third chapter, “On Being Sane in Insane Places,” adds an unique layer to her novel by examining Rosenhan’s experiment. In Rosenhan’s experiment, he sent eight pseudopatients to different mental institutions, each complaining of one nonexistent psychological issue—a voice in their head saying ‘thud’. All eight of the psuedopatients were locked up for at least seven days, most being diagnosed as schizophrenic, even though they acted completely sane after being admitted (Slater 63). Slater, fascinated by Rosenhan’s experiment, set out to replicate it herself.

There hope is to diagnosis and treat the illness at hand. This article questions the validity of diagnosing each patient. If the doctors or the nurses’ diagnosis is wrong then, the treatment will also be wrong. This can create complications for all parties at hand. Most often there is protocol that most doctors have to follow when diagnosing a patient “However, it should not be forgotten that they are all using same diagnostic manual, and probability of diagnosing a person is in depression with same instructions.”(). Now this makes a person question whether the validity is of the doctor or the protocol. If it is the protocol than that is something that needs to be evaluated. At the time the DSM system was in use for diagnosing a patient. At the time of this experiment Rosenhan used the DSM-II statistical evaluation. Years later this statistical data was look over, “According to Mattison, Cantwell, Russell, Will (1979) general inter-rater reliability of DSM-II was about %57 and %54 for axis I in DSM-III. In DSM III, which is published twelve years later after first version of DSM II, reliability scores of psychosis, conduct disorder, hyperactivity, and mental retardation was slightly higher than general reliability scores; however, as it is accepted today with the circumstance of logical base, reliability under 0.7-0.8 is found questionable and possibility of error is

Diagnosis involves absolutely no prior scientific examination. Psychiatric offices place individuals in a small room to undergo analysis, while doctors assess how the individual responds to stillness and silence. The methodical diagnosis of the disorder seems to be unfair because the testing process seems as if it is designed for the individual to fail. The fact that no scientific testing occurs makes the testing completely judgmental and inaccurate.

Principle is a great way to remember what should be included in a fitness plan. F.I.T.T stands for __________ __________ __________ __________.

Lauren Slater’s, On Being Sane in Insane Places, takes the reader on a journey showing how psychiatry has changed since the 1970’s. David Rosenhan’s experiment of whether psychiatrists could accurately diagnose mental stability was the catalyst for her own experiment. Her quest to see if Rosenhan’s experiment can be duplicated, clearly shows her mental stability is questionable. I believe the psychiatrists in her experiment may have accurately diagnosed her.

It was said in the 1970 's most Psychiatric professionals predicted their own beliefs while diagnosing a patient on their mental and social suitability. Daniel Rosenhand a professor of law and psychology at Stanford has decided to take the time and do research on how patients are diagnosed accurately. Although Rosenhand was aware the major social role psychiatrists have, he was determined to figure out if the patients are really insane as they were evaluated to be.

by the brain to other parts of the body are not normal in people with

In the 1970’s, David Rosenhan completed an experiment where he and eight others went into different mental institutions and told the doctors that they were hearing a voice which said ‘Thud’. If they were then admitted they were to say that the voice had gone away and that they were feeling fine. Rosenhan decided to test the abilities of the psychiatrists to identify those who were sane and those who were insane. His main goal was to find out if the psychiatrists would be able to see that the experimental group was sane, or if their opinions would cause self-fulfilling prophecies. For example, “if the patient is there, labeled a patient, then he must be crazy” (Slater, 2005, pg. 63).

According to the APA, psychologists of health have been instructing patients in ways to manage enduring diseases and in other ways that could help them to avoid the diseases that are for the most part preventable. They are able to help with this by using theories with in the field of psychology along with other research that is being conducted in order to aid with the advance of certain methodologies which could help patients with starting and maintaining a lifestyle that is both healthy and also provides the most chance of emotional and mental wellbeing” (Uyemura, B (2011.) According to psychologytoday.com, “a leading website in the study of addiction”, a major study was performed in the Epidemiologic Catchment Area that shows that in the