I'd like to share a link to an article with you that I believe explains how an innocent man came to find himself in prison and pinged for a ludicrous amount of restitution money, payable to the perpetrator of the hoax against him.
While you read the article I would like you to think of Kevin Cassidy with his previous, unrelated criminal record in the same light as the "pseudopatients" in the article. Despite all the good intentioned and well meaning people involved in the legal system Cassidy met a similar fate as the pseudopatients who encountered the good intentioned and well meaning folks in the mental health system. Unfortunately for Cassidy, his story has no psychologist, no David Rosenhan to pull him out of the asylum.
By the way, I include myself in with the people who misdiagnosed Kevin Cassidy, at least in the beginning. Having had the experience of misdiagnosing Cassidy myself helps me understand how other well meaning, good intentioned and intelligent people can still be under the same misconception. I think this article does a good job of explaining how that can happen.
The article is named "Psyched Out" and its author is Dan Lewis. (you can read it here )
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