SAVED HER LIFE. THAT EXPERIENCE INSPIRED HER TO
TAKE A CLOSER LOOK AT MENTAL
HEALTH.
HEALTH. TAKE A LOOK.
>> SUSANNAH CAHALAN WAS AN EAGER
YOUNG JOURNALIST WHEN SHE
STARTED TO EXHIBIT STRANGE
BEHAVIOR.
BEHAVIOR. >> I BECAME OBSESSED WITH THE
IDEA THAT I HAD BEDBUGS, AND YOU
KNOW, THIS WAS 2009 IN NEW YORK
CITY, EVERYONE THOUGHT THEY HAD
BEDBUGS SO IT’S NOT THAT
UNUSUAL.
UNUSUAL. >> HER SYMPTOMS QUICKLY
ESCALATED.
ESCALATED. >> I ALSO STARTED EXPERIENCING
ONE SIDED NUMBNESS AND THAT
STARTED IN MY FINGERS AND TOES
AND THAT ACTUALLY SCARED ME
ENOUGH TO GO TO MY DOCTOR.
>> CAHALAN WOULD SPEND A MONTH
IN THE HOSPITAL UNTIL A
NEUROLOGIST DIAGNOSED HER WITH
AUTOIMMUNE ENCEPHALITIS.
AUTOIMMUNE ENCEPHALITIS. >> HE TOOK MY PARENTS OUTSIDE
THE HOSPITAL ROOM AND SAID TO
THEM, HER BRAIN IS ON FIRE.
HER BRAIN IS UNDER ATTACK BY HER
OWN BODY.
OWN BODY. >> SHE WAS SUCCESSFULLY TREATED
AND DOCUMENTED THE JOURNEY IN
HER BEST SELLING BOOK, "BRAIN ON
FIRE" TURNED INTO A FEATURE FILM
STARRED CHLOE GRACE.
NOW SHE HAS SHIFTED HER FOCUS TO
THE TREATMENT OF MENTAL ILLNESS
IN THE U.S., IN HER NEW BOOK
"THE GREAT PRETENDER" CAHALAN
DIGS INTO A STUDY BY STANFORD’S
DOCTOR.
DOCTOR. >> A GROUP OF COLLEAGUES AND I
GAINED ADMISSION TO PSYCHIATRIC
HOSPITALS BY SIMULATING AND
FAKING A SINGLE SYMPTOM.
>> HE SENT EIGHT PEOPLE UNDER
COVER INTO MENTAL INSTITUTIONS
INCLUDING HIMSELF TO SECRETLY
TEST THEIR METHODS OF TREATMENT.
>> THE TERM WE USE TO DESCRIBE
THE EXPERIENCE IS DEHUMANIZED.
>> THE CONTROVERSIAL STUDY
DRAMATICALLY CHANGED PATIENT
CARE, AND CAHALAN’S STUDIES
COULD CHANGE EVERYTHING AGAIN.
>> THIS IS FASCINATING, THE NEW
BOOK CALLED "THE GREAT
PRETENDER" THE UNDER COVER
MISSION THAT CHANGED OUR
UNDERSTANDING OF MADNESS.
GOOD MORNING TO YOU.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HAVING
ME.
ME. >> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. LET’S TAKE IT A STEP AT A TIME,
TAKE ME BACK TO THE 1970s, WHAT
WAS THE GOAL OF PUTTING PEOPLE
IN SOME OF THESE MENTAL
INSTITUTIONS AND WHAT WAS THE
OUTCOME.
OUTCOME. >> THE GOAL FOR DAVID HOSENHAM
WAS TO SEE IF PSYCHIATRY KNEW
WHAT THEY WERE DOING, TO SEE IF
THEY COULD TELL THE DIFFERENCE
ABOUT SANITY AND INSANITY, AND
TO REPORT BACK, WERE THESE
HARMFUL PLACES OR HEF PLACE SGLS
PLACES.
PLACES. >> AND WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME.
>> THE OUTCOME WAS PRETTY
DAMMING, BASICALLY THE
PSYCHIATRISTS COULD NOT TELL THE
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SANITY AND
INSANITY.
INSANITY. THAT WAS HIS CONCLUSION AND THIS
CONFIRMED FEARS THE PUBLIC HAD
ABOUT MENTAL INSTITUTIONS SEEING
IN ONE FLOOR OF THE NEST.
>> AND THERE’S A FEAR, LOCKING
THEM IN A ROOM, AND THEY’RE
GETTING CRAZIER BECAUSE THEY’RE
NOT GETTING THE TREATMENT, AND
TELL ME THIS, THERE’S THIS 9th
PATIENT, HE WASN’T INCLUDED IN
THE PUBLISHED PIECE.
HE SHARED THE STATEMENT.
ROSENHAM EXCLUDED MY DATA
BECAUSE MY EXPERIENCE WAS
DIFFERENT.
DIFFERENT. I WAS NEVER DEPERSONALIZED AND
STAFF WERE ACCESSIBLE AND CARING
TOWARD PATIENTS, IS HE TRYING TO
SAY THEN THE WHOLE EXPERIMENT
WAS SKEWED AND MAYBE IT WASN’T
AS BAD AS WE THOUGHT.
>> HARRY IS SOMEONE I FOUND IN
MY RESEARCH, SIX YEARS OF
RESEARCH, AND WHAT I STARTED TO
FIND OUT, THINGS DIDN’T ADD UP,
THERE WAS SLOPPYINESS AND
INACCURACY, AND I FOUND HARRY,
AND HE HAD A POSITIVE
EXPERIENCE.
EXPERIENCE. HE HAD A VERY HEALING TIME
DURING HIS HOSPITALIZATION, 19
DAYS.
DAYS. HE WAS MISDIAGNOSED WITH SKRITS
FEN
FEN -- SCHIZOPHRENIA, AND THIS
RAISED A LOT OF RED FLAGS AND
QUESTIONED THE CONCLUSIONS OF
THE STEEUDY AND WE’RE FEELING TH
AFTER EFFECTS TODAY.
>> IF YOU DISCOVERED ALL OF
THIS, IT SEEMS CRAZY TO ME THAT
STUDENTS IN SCHOOL ARE STILL
LEARNING ABOUT THIS STUDY, AND
TAKING IT FOR WHAT IT IS.
WHY WAS THERE NO FACT CHECKING
OR WAS THERE NO BACK UP STUDY TO
KIND OF PROVE THAT THIS IS
SOMETHING WE SHOULD BE STUDYING.
>> IT’S A GREAT QUESTION.
YOU KNOW, IT’S A PSYCHOLOGICAL
101 MAINSTAY.
101 MAINSTAY. ANYONE WHO TAKES AN INTRO TO
PSYCHOLOGY CLASS IS GOING TO
LEARN IT.
LEARN IT. THERE’S A LOT OF VALIDITIES, HE
IDENTIFIED TRUE THINGS BUT I
THINK WE NEED TO CHANGE THE WAY
WE TEACH IT.
>> WHAT’S THE TAKE AWAY, WE WERE
TALKING ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH
TODAY, IT RUNS THE GAMUT, YOU
HAVE PEOPLE WHO HAVE MENTAL
HEALTH ISSUES IN SUBURBS ALL
OVER THE COUNTRY AND PEOPLE ON
CITY TRAINS HERE IN NEW YORK
CITY WHO ARE TALKING TO
THEMSELVES AND IT CAN BE A
LITTLE SCARY.
LITTLE SCARY. YOU START TALKING ABOUT MENTAL
HEALTH, PEOPLE WANT SOLUTIONS,
WHAT’S YOUR TAKE AWAY.
>> IT’S SUCH A COMPLICATED
ISSUE.
ISSUE. WHAT I LEARNED IS THERE’S A LOT
OF NUANCE HERE.
THERE WERE HORRIBLE PLACES THAT
WAREHOUSED PEOPLE, THEY WERE NOT
GOOD BUT MAYBE THERE’S A MORE
NUANCED DISCUSSION, MAYBE THERE
ARE PLACES THAT CAN BE HELPFUL
AND HEALING AS AN ASYLUM IN THE
OLD SENSE OF TAKING CARE OF
PEOPLE, AND I HOPE UNVEILING THE
STUDY AND REVEALING THE KIND OF
LIMITATIONS ALLOWS US TO LOOK
BACK AND REALLY ASSESS THE PAST
IN ORDER TO MOVE FORWARD AND
REALLY PROGRESS.
REALLY PROGRESS. >> WE’RE HAPPY YOU’RE OKAY AS
WELL.
WELL. >> THANK YOU.
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU, FOR MORE ON THIS