S126E7: Obviously He Was Going To Be Criticised For Doing That - Emmy Hikins On A Sanity Experiment

This is the Season 126 of The Alien Spaceship with dRem TGI (Emmy Hikins) and Trevor Gear on Deepstuff TV and Deepstuff Radio of Deepstuff records. All Episodes conducted by Legendary Singer-Songwriter and Musician Trevor Gear and TV and Radio presenter Emmy Hikins (dRem TGI) and also a Singer-Songwriter and a music producer of Deepstuff records LTD.

This is a Comedy Talkshow and a Podcast

In this season of The Alien Spaceship Podcast we discuss:

Summary Of This Episode

Sanity and Normality Concepts

Emmy and Kimberley discussed the concepts of sanity and normality, exploring how difficult it is to define these terms and how people exist on a spectrum rather than having clear definitions. They shared personal experiences about how their own mental states change over time and how difficult it is to maintain consistent thoughts and decisions. The conversation began to touch on a famous psychological experiment by David Rosenhan titled "On Being Sane in Insane Places" conducted in 1973, though the transcript ended before they could fully discuss the experiment's details.

Mental Health Care Evolution

Emmy and Kimberley discussed a mental health experiment conducted by David Rosenhan where participants feigned mental illness to enter psychiatric institutions. They explored how the experiment highlighted challenges in diagnosing mental illness and the subsequent changes in mental health care, including the transition from institutional care to community-based support through "Care in the Community" program. The discussion also touched on the difficulties in diagnosing mental illness compared to physical conditions and the evolution of mental health facilities over the past few decades.

Mental Health Diagnosis Challenges

Kimberley and Emmy discussed the challenges of diagnosing and understanding mental illness, drawing from personal anecdotes and research. They explored how individuals might feign madness, the complexities of diagnosing intermittent mental health issues, and the ethical implications of misdiagnosis, including cases where individuals might adopt behaviors similar to those around them. The conversation also touched on the limitations of the healthcare system and the difficulty of determining genuine mental illness versus fabrication, particularly in legal contexts.

Mental Health Crisis Experience

Kimberley shared a personal story about her sister Sue, who experienced a mental health crisis involving aggression and was later diagnosed with bipolar disorder. She described visiting Sue in a mental health hospital and noted how difficult it is for doctors and psychiatrists to judge someone's mental state, especially during periods of loneliness or depression. The conversation concluded with Kimberley reflecting on the spectrum of human emotions and the importance of finding balance between structured life and allowing for moments of unstructured expression.