The Truman Show Delusion: When Reality TV Literally Drives You Nuts

Have you ever had the feeling that someone is following you, watching you, recording your every move and broadcasting it to the entire world without you even knowing it? Although it sounds like something straight out of a science-fiction movie, two psychologists claimed to have discovered such a mental illness. The discovery of the disorder, aptly dubbed the "Truman Show Delusion," has caught the attention of people across the world and caused quite a stir.

Joel and Ian Gold, brothers from Montreal, are the two psychologists who discovered the Truman Show Delusion. According to the brothers, they have treated five patients with the disorder and are in the process of writing a paper on the subject. The patients, all well-educated white men between the ages of 25 and 34, believe that they are the subject of their own reality television shows. Like the 1998 movie starring Jim Carrey that the disorder is named after, sufferers of the Truman Show Delusion are convinced that their every move is secretly being recorded and broadcast worldwide. Furthermore, their friends and families are nothing but actors who are also in on the secret.

The bothers admit that the disorder could have been called anything. However, they chose the name "Truman Show Delusion" because three of the five patients they have treated referred specifically to the move The Truman Show when describing their plight. Believing his life was nothing but a script, one of the patients planned to climb to the top of the Statue of Liberty and wait for his true love. If she did not show up, he planned to jump to his death. Another patient was admitted to a mental health facility after an outburst at a polling station during the 2004 presidential election. He felt that it was his duty to protest against President Bush and his administration while, he believed, millions of people were watching. In addition to the five patients the Gold brothers have already diagnosed, they have been informed of six more patients who are suspected to also be suffering from the Truman Show Delusion.

As interesting as it sounds, is the Truman Show Delusion a real disorder? Many mental health professionals feel that the disorder offers nothing new and is no different from any other delusion. However, Joel and Ian Gold remain convinced that the condition is real. The brothers believe that the difference between the Truman Show Delusion and other delusions lies in the extent of the delusion. While most paranoid delusions are relatively narrow-say a man who believes his neighbor is 'out to get him'-the Truman Show Delusion is significantly broader, involving the entire world. Obviously more research is needed.

Regardless of whether or not the Truman Show Delusion is a distinct disorder, it is still an interesting topic. In this day and age where there are more reality television shows than we care to admit and where anyone can become an instant star thanks to Youtube, the Truman Show Delusion doesn't seem that unreal afterall.

Source

National Post