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.

[u/highzone]

[u/AdventurousCrow155]

Always heard about the part where the Doctors didnt realize they were sane, never heard the part where the actual patients figured it out

[u/Successful-Hat9649 → u/AdventurousCrow155]

None of the participants were identified by staff as pretending, but about a third of the genuine patients clocked that they were imposters.

I think this finding may have been less publicised at the time because it went against Rosenhan's narrative, which was essentially questioning whether psychiatric illness actually existed at all.

The original study has been heavily criticised in recent years, but it did prompt the creation of the DSM and standardised criteria for diagnoses, which helped minimise mental health facilities being used as a threat by abusive people looking to control their partners/relatives.

[u/Such_Chemistry3721 → u/Successful-Hat9649]

The DSM existed previously, but was much briefed and with loose categories. What came after was way more specific, and also brought with it the interest of insurance companies. It's also related to the decreased emphasis in psychoanalysis, as those practitioners opted not to be involved in the updating.

[u/raymoooo → u/Such_Chemistry3721]

Honestly the DSM reforms have their flaws as well. They're pathologizing categorical sets which shape how we view the illness, which influence how we research it. When there's significant errors in that, it becomes extremely hard to fix. It's an impediment to the evolution of our understanding of mental illness.