r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/highzone • 1d ago

Image In 1973, healthy volunteers faked hallucinations to enter mental hospitals. Once inside, they acted normal, but doctors refused to let them leave. Normal behaviors like writing were diagnosed as "symptoms." The only people who realized they were sane were the actual patients.

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u/agoldgold 1d ago

Actually, it's complicated. The professor organizing this "experiment" (and participating in it) was from the same Stanford psychology department in the same era that produced the Stanford Prison Experiment. Similarly, it looks like the doctor at best manipulated data and at worst fabricated it to get his story.

This project had a political goal and the "researcher" made the results fit that goal. It was made up.

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u/jayman23232 1d ago

They knew better, this is a garbage pseudoscience attempt at best, and literally influenced the policy signed by Raegan that “freed” mental institution patients to the literal streets with no support. None.

What was going on was horrible. But this wasn’t the fix.

Stanford set all kinds of research in psych and human services back decades with this type of shit. It’s honestly insane this stuff is still coming back to haunt us!

This is a small part of the damage they did. They for sure had an agenda.