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How An Influential And Flawed Psychiatric Study Changed The Course Of Modern Medicine

Susannah Cahalan is the author of "The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness."
EMILY WOODBURY | ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
Susannah Cahalan is the author of "The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness."
Susannah Cahalan is the author of "The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness."
Credit EMILY WOODBURY | ST. LOUIS PUBLIC RADIO
Susannah Cahalan is the author of "The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness."

In 2009, New York Post reporter Susannah Cahalan suddenly experienced hallucinations, paranoia, seizures and catatonia. She was misdiagnosed for a month before she was finally treated for a rare autoimmune disease that can attack the brain, anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis.

Cahalan has little recollection of this time in her life, but she investigated her experience and published the details in her 2012 book, “Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness.”

Led by a concern that others suffering from this condition were being mistreated in psychiatric hospitals, she began looking into an influential 1973 study titled "On Being Sane in Insane Places" by psychologist David Rosenhan. The details of her investigation are found in her latest book, “The Great Pretender: The Undercover Mission That Changed Our Understanding of Madness.”

Tuesday on St. Louis on the Air, host Sarah Fenske talked with Cahalan about her examination of Rosenhan’s study, what she learned about the treatment of mental illness from researching her own harrowing experience and the narrow line between physical and mental illness.

Related Event

What: Left Bank Books Presents: Susannah Cahalan - The Great Pretender

When: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 7 p.m.

Where: .ZACK, 3224 Locust St., St. Louis, MO 63103

St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is hosted by Sarah Fenske and produced by Alex Heuer, Emily Woodbury, Evie Hemphill, Lara Hamdan and Tonina Saputo. The engineer is Aaron Doerr, and production assistance is provided by Charlie McDonald.

Send questions and comments about this story to feedback@stlpublicradio.org.

Copyright 2021 St. Louis Public Radio. To see more, visit St. Louis Public Radio.

Emily Woodbury joined the St. Louis on the Air team in July 2019. Prior to that, she worked at Iowa Public Radio as a producer for two daily, statewide talk programs. She is a graduate of the University of Iowa with a degree in journalism and a minor in political science. She got her start in news radio by working at her college radio station as a news director. Emily enjoys playing roller derby, working with dogs, and playing games – both video and tabletop.