The Martha Mitchell effect is a diagnostic error in which a clinician mistakes a patient's accurate report of real events for a delusional symptom, because the clinician fails to check whether the reported events actually happened, however implausible they may sound. It is named for Martha Mitchell, whose claims about wrongdoing inside the Nixon administration were initially dismissed as signs of mental illness but were later confirmed as true during the Watergate scandal.
Facts
Core ClaimThe Martha Mitchell effect occurs when a medical professional labels a patient's accurate perception of real events as delusional, leading to misdiagnosis. 1 First Described Year Classification
Type of Phenomenon Sources
1. Martha Mitchell effect, Wikipedia
Lead section
The Martha Mitchell effect occurs when a medical professional labels a patient's accurate perception of real events as delusional, resulting in misdiagnosis.
Origin section, Maher citation
Maher, Brendan A. (1988). "Anomalous Experience and Delusional Thinking: The Logic of Explanations."
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