The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness
"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?
BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
Some of what I read was pretty upsetting. I don't like the idea of asylums/institutions because there have been so many bad ones through the years (especially those early years). However, now it's a chore to get those that are seriously mentally ill into a place where they can get the help they need so much so that a lot of people who have those illnesses end up in jail/prison and may not get any help at all. That's not to say that implementing institutions would be a good thing because then you have to find a way to give comprehensive care as opposed to just throwing medications at the person. I mean, it's just upsetting that there is still this stigma around mental illness and a person can still not be taken as seriously or as compassionately as someone with a physical illness.
It's a solid read. I recommend it for anyone in the mental health field and those who are interested in psychiatry and psychology.
Understand beforehand that this book stems from a study of pseudopatients that the author found herself interested in so a lot of the information contained stems from what she learned from that study and about that study.
See why thousands of readers are using Bookclubs to stay connected.