Searching for the Truth — and Finding Unexpected Answers

In 1973, Stanford psychologist David Rosenhan published a bombshell paper called “On Being Sane in Insane Places.” In the paper, Rosenhan described faking symptoms to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital, and recruiting several other pseudo patients to do the same. Could staff tell they were faking? What was it like to be a patient in an institution? The “Rosenhan experiment,” as it came to be known, created a major stir, sparking public debates over the validity of psychiatric diagnoses and contributing to a shift away from institutionalization. Decades later, when journalist Susannah Cahalan began looking into the experiment, she made a startling discovery about Rosenhan’s famous research; he had made up most of it.

On this episode, we explore what happens when long-held narratives are upended. For the first time, we hear the voices of the pseudo patients who participated in the famous study, and find out why Cahalan was so passionate about finding them. We’ll also hear a story about one woman’s decades-long search to investigate the Oklahoma City bombing that killed her two grandsons.

SHOW NOTES:

• The reason Susannah Cahalan was so interested in the Rosenhan experiment was personal — she had her own brush with the mental health system. Check out this week’s edition of KQED's Snap Judgment, where she tells that story. It starts with Cahalan waking up in a hospital room, and having no idea why she’s there. 
• Kathy Sanders’ grandsons, Chase, 3, and Colton, 2, were killed in the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995. Sanders felt numb with grief and sadness — but soon, another emotion crept in: doubt. She felt that the federal investigation was dropping leads, and not pursuing important clues. Reporter Grant Hill talks with Sanders about what she found in her own investigation, and why, 30 years later, she’s still looking for the truth.