Another note on hermetics and schizophrenia and the insanity of psychiatry

This paper is known colloquially as the "Thud experiment" and it's one
of the most fascinating studies in mental healthcare. A research and
other people disclosed that they heard auditory hallucinations and were
summarily hospitalised with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. This is
possibly the core diagnostic feature above all others for what people
perceive as schizophrenia and is correct in the use of the term dementia
praecox (because that covered a wide range of severe mental illnesses
that included many unusual states of consciousness.)

In the study the subjects told doctors they didn't hear voices upon
hospitalisation. None of them had any pre-existing diagnosis as far as
the study reported. One of the subjects spent almost 2 months in
hospital. Many of the subjects had their normal behaviour patholgised so
the researcher was describing as exhibiting "writing behaviour" and
another subject who was a professional painter had his creativity
patholoogised on the ward.

The reaction from the hospital after the study was published is
noteworthy. They made attempts to seek out any fake patients sent as
further research. They identified several yet Rosenhan didn't send any.

It's a relatively easy to read paper because it was published in a
popular science magazine. It was also a damning indictment of psychiatry.

On Being Sane In Insane Places
David L. Rosenhan
http://web.archive.org/web/20041117175255/http://web.cocc.edu/lminorevans/on_being_sane_in_insane_places.htm