Essay on Being Sane In Insane Places

Submitted By michaelmmaldonado

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Pages: 2

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According to David L. Rosenhan’s experiment, 8 normal pseudopatients were admitted into psychiatric hospitals on accounts of mental disorder symptoms. Conclusively, the fraud was not detected and the patients did diagnosed as “sane” even after showing normal behaviors. Hidden misconduct as well as the effect of psychodiagnostic labeling was revealed. The way the pseudopatients and the “insane” patients were treated was extremely unethical. Due to the patient-staff segregation, there was a limited amount of interaction between the patients and the attendants. Moreover, the staff at times ignored the presence of the patients. They were given a sense of “invisibility.” Belittling any human being is an inhuman act. In addition, abuse, whether physical, verbal, or in the form of demeaning glances or gestures, has no place in a mental institution. In a place meant to treat mental disorders, it is illogical to commit such immoral behavior. After all, environmental factors may lead to these disorders. A label has the potential to negatively affect an individual’s life. For example, it guides any observations made about the person. In the case of the pseudopatients, seemingly normal behaviors and experiences were distorted to match with the diagnosed psychological illness. Consequently, that person is viewed in a stereotypical manner. Then, the prejudiced decision will obviously be inaccurate. Therefore, the “stickiness” of such a label only harms the individual’s life. In order

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