Rosenhan: On Being Sane in Insane Places

The video discusses Nellie Bly's 1887 investigation into asylum conditions and David Rosenhan's 1970s experiment on psychiatric diagnosis. Bly pretended to be insane to expose poor asylum conditions, while Rosenhan and his colleagues faked symptoms to test the reliability of schizophrenia diagnoses. The experiment revealed that normal behavior was often misinterpreted as abnormal in psychiatric settings, highlighting issues in psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. Rosenhan's study showed the challenges faced by those with psychological issues in mental hospitals.

What was the primary goal of Nellie Bly's investigation in 1887?

• To become a famous actress

• To expose the conditions of a mental asylum

• To study medicine

• To write a novel about mental illness

What was the main symptom that Rosenhan's pseudo-patients faked to get admitted to mental hospitals?

• Feeling extreme sadness

• Experiencing severe headaches

• Seeing imaginary people

• Hearing a voice saying 'hollow, empty thud'

How did the hospital staff interpret the normal behavior of the pseudo-patients?

• As a reason to discharge them

• As confirmation of their psychiatric diagnosis

• As a mistake in diagnosis

• As a sign of recovery

What was the average duration of stay for the pseudo-patients in the hospitals?

• 19 days

• 52 days

• 7 days

• 30 days

What did Rosenhan's study reveal about the treatment of patients in mental hospitals?

• Patients were treated with utmost care and attention

• Patients were given personalized therapy sessions

• Patients were often depersonalized and ignored

• Patients were quickly diagnosed and released

What was one of the significant challenges faced by the pseudo-patients during the experiment?

• Pretending to have more symptoms

• Finding a way to escape the hospital

• Avoiding taking the prescribed medication

• Convincing the staff they were sane

What is the key lesson from Rosenhan's study?

• Mental hospitals are unnecessary

• Being psychologically troubled in a mental hospital is challenging

• Psychiatric diagnoses are always accurate

• It's easy to fake mental illness