Rosenhan revisited: successful scientific fraud.

Area of Science:

• Psychiatry
• History of Medicine
• Scientific Integrity

Background:

• David Rosenhan's 1973 study in *Science* significantly influenced the American Psychiatric Association's revision of its diagnostic manual.
• The study's findings have been widely interpreted as evidence of psychiatry's diagnostic limitations and failings.
• Rosenhan's paper remains highly cited, impacting contemporary discussions on mental health diagnosis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To re-evaluate the historical impact and validity of David Rosenhan's 1973 study.
• To investigate allegations of scientific fraud within the seminal 'On being sane in insane places' research.
• To assess the study's foundational role in the development of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd Edition (DSM-III).

Main Methods:

• Investigative journalism techniques were employed to scrutinize the original research.
• Analysis of records shared by investigative journalist Susannah Cahalan.
• Comparison of reported findings with newly uncovered evidence regarding the study's execution and outcomes.

Main Results:

• The study presents compelling evidence that Rosenhan's research constitutes a significant case of scientific fraud.
• The alleged findings, long considered crucial evidence of psychiatry's shortcomings, are demonstrably inaccurate.
• This revelation challenges the historical basis for major revisions in psychiatric diagnostic practices.

Conclusions:

• Rosenhan's 1973 study, despite its profound influence, is identified as a case of scientific fraud.
• The study's purported findings, which shaped diagnostic manuals like the DSM-III, are unsubstantiated.
• This re-evaluation necessitates a critical reassessment of the historical trajectory of psychiatric diagnosis and its foundational research.