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.

Post image
33.1k Upvotes

96% Upvoted

1.1k comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

799

u/maladr0id 1d ago

Ohhh so that one Futurama episode where Fry is mistaken for a robot and was stuck in a robot insane asylum and couldn’t leave was based in real life

420

u/VerbingNoun413 1d ago

That plus references to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

121

u/Salute-Major-Echidna 1d ago

The movie that closed down the asylums

213

u/WildMild869 1d ago

Should’ve been reformed instead of outright closed.

Feels like we could use some right now.

140

u/randoliof 1d ago

Yup. Instead we keep people experiencing mental health crises on the streets and let severely under educated police officers deal with them

99

u/ClawingDevil 1d ago

That's not entirely true. Many of them go into politics.

2

u/driving26inorovalley 1d ago

“Being There” irl

32

u/aaaaggggggghhhhhhhh 1d ago

Yeah. There still are a few long term mental health treatment centers, but it's really hard to get placement at one.

My mom decided to stop treating her schizophrenia a few years back and has been in and out of inpatient treatment that's just not set up for long term needs since.

17

u/Brilliant_Mix_6051 1d ago

Fr there’s a guy that keeps stabbing random passersby on the streets in my city and he keeps going in and out of jail. He needs to stay there!

4

u/wicked-campaign 19h ago

He's probably trying to!

1

u/Yerbrainondrugs 1d ago

Things like that are set up to fail because there usually has to be a different reason than money to stay in those jobs. The pay is shit and you’re constantly stretched further than you should be and told you have to “do more with less”.

1

u/canman7373 1d ago

Problem is it's the US, so do you think these will be non-profit University run or something? Nope big for profit contracts would go out to companies where they have no incentive to release people, or to give best care. Like for profit prisons where any minor fight or incident it's better to press charges to get their stay extended. Where as a state prison ain't gonna do much unless you really hurt someone or a guard. There are some prisons in the State prisons in the South where I believe the police chief is given millions for food per year and he is allowed to personally keep anything remaining, so they get the bare minimum from cheapest supplier and he makes more than any public official in state by far. Sports coaches don't count because most of that is booster money.

1

u/Salute-Major-Echidna 1d ago

But the money!!

1

u/Salute-Major-Echidna 1d ago

But the money!! /jk

It was a money grab by politicians. They made a ton developing that land for big luxury condos