It was brought up to me that there is a “new” mental disorder known as the Truman Show Delusion, where people think they are constantly on a reality TV show. Now, my best friend and I will joke about how awesome we are and that we should have a reality TV show….but we both know that we are not ON TV. Apparently watching “The Real Housewives of….” is too much for some people to handle, mentally, and they think there is a TV crew following them too. But, it is very interesting because the more I am reading about it, the more highly debatable it seems to be in the mental health field. If you are at risk for the Truman Show Delusion because of watching reality TV, I am in TROUBLE!!
What is this Disorder?
This disorder is named after the movie The Truman Show, starring Jim Carey, in 1998, where he lived in this world, not knowing that how whole life was basically a scripted reality TV show, and he was secretly being taped, while the whole world watched his life. There are two MDs, who happen to be brothers, Ian and Joel Gold, who claim that there are a few real cases of this disorder, where people believe that everyone in their lives (their families, significant others, co-workers, etc) are all interacting with them based off of a script, and their lives are secretly filmed for reality TV. They believed that they first started to see these symptoms in patients in Bellevue Hospital in New York in 2002; it is a state of acute psychosis for these patients and they truly believe they are being secretly taped.
Does anything put you at higher risk?
The Golds have found certain traits in their patients that they have found to have this disorder. They say that most of the people that present with this disorder, choose to be at the center of attention most of the time, are very concerned with social standing and what others think of them, and they may actually fear being in the public eye. Their fear may be so strong that it actually causes a psychotic break in which they believe they are the focus of everyone. A hyper acute paranoia, stemmed from their biggest fears.
What is a delusion/psychotic break?
A delusion is a belief that someone holds firm to, that has been otherwise proved untrue. So, if I said that I am the President of the US and I tell everyone that, and truly believe it, despite the fact that Barack Obama is the president, and it is common knowledge, I would be delusional. And psychosis, or a psychotic break, is when someone all of the sudden has no concept of reality at all; one day you are living your life with complete control and understanding, and the next you no longer trust or believe anything that you have accepted as truth your entire life. Both of these issues can be scary to the person it is happening to and confusing to those around them, such as friends and family members. Anyone with an acute delusion or psychotic break should seek help immediately so the underlying reason for the delusions/psychosis can be treated and an HCP can help to ensure that they are safe.
What is the controversy with the Truman Show Delusion?
Well, acute paranoia and delusional psychotic breaks are not new in the world of psychiatry. And patients who are having these delusions or paranoia often are paranoid about things that are relevant in society. For example, when radios were the hottest technology, patients were worried that they were being affected by radio waves and they were being emitted into their brains, changing how they acted and invading their thoughts. Now it is more a fear of microchips being imbedded in them, or the fear of hidden TV cameras because there are so many reality TV shows/hidden camera shows in the media and on TV. So, many in the medical field kind of think that this is just a lot of hype, to get 15 minutes of fame for the Doctors Gold, for something that is not new and has been part of delusions since inception of the diagnosis.
Just like after 9/11, people had psychotic breaks and delusions about terrorists everywhere; does this mean that the cultural obsession has created this phenomenon? I think the biggest issue is that this is a culturally relevant take on an old psychiatric disorder. This isn’t a rampant diagnosis since the inception of reality TV, and there are risk factors. BUT if you do know anyone that has any of these fears, you should get them to see their HCP immediately as they do need medical care to treat their psychosis, figure out the cause, and get them medications/treatment regimens. But, rest assured, there is no research that says that watching reality TV will make you have a psychotic break and create the Truman Show Delusion! So, keep on keeping on with the Kardashians and those “Real Housewives..” besides wasting a few hours of your life, you won’e become psychotic!
Yours in Good Health
B
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