Rosenhan-Experiment

The Rosenhan experiment was a study of the reliability of psychiatric diagnoses, which was carried out 1968-1972 by psychologist David Rosenhan and published in 1973 under the title On Being Sane in Insane Places in the Science magazine ( title of the German translation: Healthy in sick environment).

The psychologist Robert Rosenthal conducted similar experiments in 1965 to U.S. primary schools ( Rosenthal effect).

Experimental design and results

The study consisted of two parts. In the first mentally healthy people had secretly be hospitalized in psychiatric hospitals under Vorspielung of hallucinations to check the reactions of the hospitals. The second part was just the opposite. Rosenhan announced that he would inject " pseudo- patients " in some psychiatric hospitals, but without doing so. Nevertheless, the mobile workers have believed to have recognized pseudo patients.

The experiment with pseudo- patients

Here, eight different people registered ( a psychology student, three psychologists, a psychiatrist, a pediatrician, a painter and a housewife, and three of them were women, five men ) with a total of twelve psychiatric hospitals and maintained at the initial examination, she had been hearing voices that, as far as one could understand it, the words " empty", "hollow " and " thud " said ( " empty " means " empty", "hollow " means " hollow" and " thud " has many meanings: thud, thud, thud, bouncing, hit, boom, thud. "heart thudding " means " heart pounding "). After they were added to the respective clinic, they behaved completely normal again. When registering, they gave a false name and false details about their employment, but would otherwise remain in the truth.

Each of the subjects was recorded in eleven applications schizophrenia was diagnosed with a manic -depressive psychosis. During the test, no test person was recognized by the staff as well. Since the test subjects but showed no symptoms during the hospital stay, they eventually were by an average of 19 days ( in one case 52 days ) dismissed, but not symptom-free as cured, but as. The subjects were given a total of 2100 tablets very different drugs, but did not take them secretly. You log all events exactly tens - only secretly and later publicly because nobody noticed. (In the protocols of the institutions this activity was usually listed as a pathological writing behavior. )

In contrast, the other patients saw through the deception relatively quickly and kept the test persons for journalists or professors. Right conversations with the staff of the hospitals did not take place, and most of the questions of the pseudo patients were ignored. An example of this:

Pseudo Patient: " Pardon me, Dr. X. Could you tell me when I am Eligible for grounds privileges? " ( German: " Excuse me, Dr. X. Could you tell me, when do I get the output right ?") Doctor in passing without considering the question: " Good morning, Dave. How are you today " ( German :". Good morning, Dave How are you today? " )

The experiment without pseudopatients

An institution that is claimed after the results of the first experiment, with them would not happen so something was informed that Rosenhan would send within three months, some pseudo- patients to them and therefore according to their probability to be pseudo patients, assess all patients should. During these three months 193 patients were included, 41 of which were held for volunteers. A further 42 were considered suspect without Rosenhan had actually sent pseudo patients.

Reception

The Rosenhan experiment and the conclusions Rosenhan have been widely criticized by various parties especially because of methodological weaknesses. As a psychiatric diagnosis is usually based primarily on reports of affected patients or people from their environment, related to the behavior and perception of patients, does not indicate the critic 's view, a rating based on false allegations wrong diagnosis to problems in precision of the diagnosis back.

On this issue, the study showed, among others, Robert L. Spitzer, professor of psychiatry at Columbia University, in a study published in 1975 towards criticisms. Also in other medical disciplines would therefore lead to erroneous diagnoses conscious Vorspielung of false symptoms. Despite this criticism of Rosenhan experiment Spitzer sought in the subsequent period to improve diagnostic standards in psychiatry, so among other things, a revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ( Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ).