The Great Pretender The Great Pretender

The Great Pretender

The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness

    • 4.1 • 35 Ratings
    • $12.99

Publisher Description

Shortlisted for the 2020 Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize

Named a Best Book of 2020 by The Guardian * The Telegraph * The Times

"One of America's most courageous young journalists" and the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling memoir Brain on Fire investigates the shocking mystery behind the dramatic experiment that revolutionized modern medicine (NPR).


Doctors have struggled for centuries to define insanity--how do you diagnose it, how do you treat it, how do you even know what it is? In search of an answer, in the 1970s a Stanford psychologist named David Rosenhan and seven other people--sane, healthy, well-adjusted members of society--went undercover into asylums around America to test the legitimacy of psychiatry's labels. Forced to remain inside until they'd "proven" themselves sane, all eight emerged with alarming diagnoses and even more troubling stories of their treatment. Rosenhan's watershed study broke open the field of psychiatry, closing down institutions and changing mental health diagnosis forever.

But, as Cahalan's explosive new research shows in this real-life detective story, very little in this saga is exactly as it seems. What really happened behind those closed asylum doors?

GENRE
Nonfiction
RELEASED
2019
November 5
LANGUAGE
EN
English
LENGTH
400
Pages
PUBLISHER
Grand Central Publishing
SELLER
Hachette Digital, Inc.
SIZE
12.2
MB

Customer Reviews

Rhiannon M, RN ,

Refreshing perspective

It's rare you'll see someone take a deep dive into the history of psychiatry with a nuanced approach instead of sharply falling into the 100% pro- or anti-psychiatry groups. An enjoyable read for anyone who likes learning the history of subjects that are more focused. Very well written, the author easily holds your attention and it's a quick read.

Without Mercy Without Mercy
2010
The Secret Parts of Fortune The Secret Parts of Fortune
2000
Couple Found Slain Couple Found Slain
2021
The Desperate Hours The Desperate Hours
2022
Killer in a White Coat Killer in a White Coat
2021
The Pastoral Clinic The Pastoral Clinic
2010
Brain on Fire Brain on Fire
2012
Mi cerebro en llamas Mi cerebro en llamas
2019
Blackout Blackout
2014
The Acid Queen The Acid Queen
2025
Umysł w ogniu Umysł w ogniu
2021
Il grande impostore Il grande impostore
2021
Stolen Stolen
2021
Chanel Bonfire Chanel Bonfire
2013
We Keep the Dead Close We Keep the Dead Close
2020
We Were Once a Family We Were Once a Family
2023
Everything Is Fine Everything Is Fine
2021
Waco Waco
2023