What is truman syndrome

“This is a serious mental illness, it’s not silly or a form of narcissism. It’s a severe and persisting mental illness and we don’t want to make light of it. If you think the entire world is fraudulent, that is incredibly distressing.”

Does the pervasiveness of reality TV and cultural phenomena like YouTube predict more Truman Show delusion diagnoses in the future? Joel Gold thinks so.

“We’ve got the ‘perfect storm’ of reality TV and the Internet. These are powerful influences in the culture we live in and for some people who are predisposed, it might be overwhelming and trigger a [psychotic] episode. The pressure of living in a large, connected community can bring out the unstable side of more vulnerable people.”

Both doctors deny seeking “fame or glory” and say they are a bit overwhelmed by the media attention. They have been inundated with “wonderful and unexpected” emails and calls from clinicians, patients, and colleagues who are willing to share their stories. They now have worked on about 20 cases.

“The upside of publicity is the chance to study this properly and learn something about it,” Ian Gold says. His brother adds, “The Truman Show delusion asks more questions than it answers.”

The Golds are working on a medical paper that will provide a series of illustrative cases. “Given the recent feedback about our work, Truman Show delusion may be more widespread than we know,” Joel Gold says.

Ian Gold adds, “Reality TV doesn’t cause delusion, but is there something about reality TV that is particularly appropriate for expressing delusion once it has developed? We don’t know yet, but it’s fascinating to explore. There’s something about fame that people respond to. My hypothesis is that delusions have to do with our relationships with other people and the new media creates a larger community with more threats and opportunities.”

The Truman Show Delusion | Psychology Today

Reality television shows have become a staple of modern life. However, little is known about the effect they have on day-to-day living. Back in 2012, Joel Gold and Ian Gold published a paper in the journal Cognitive Neuropsychiatry about a phenomenon that they dubbed the Truman Show Delusion (TSD), based on Peter Weir’s 1998 film that tells the (fictional) story of Truman Burbank (played by Jim Carrey), whose whole life has been filmed and broadcast as a soap opera without his knowledge. All the people around Truman are paid actors and extras.

The plot of The Truman Show revolves around Truman’s gradual awareness that there is something wrong about his life (i.e., that the world appears to revolve around him) and his desire to escape the town in which he lives. Because of the high audience ratings, the show’s producers attempt to keep the show even when Truman begins to suspect there is something amiss in his life. The actors are then instructed by the show’s producers and writers to tell Truman that he is imagining these things and that he is (to all intents and purposes) mentally ill (i. e., it's a persecutory delusion).

In their paper, Gold and Gold described the condition as:

“…a novel delusion, primarily persecutory in form, in which the patient believes that he is being filmed, and that the films are being broadcast for the entertainment of others. We describe a series of patients who presented with a delusional system according to which they were the subjects of something akin to a reality television show...”

Gold and Gold highlighted five short case studies of patients who had presented for treatment in their psychiatric practices. The cases ‘diagnosed’ as having the TSD are the reverse of what occurred in the film as their reported symptoms recall that of Truman, without the knowledge and awareness that their attempts to understand their situation will lead to a [Hollywood] happy ending. Interestingly, three of the cases highlighted by the authors referred to The Truman Show by name. Here is a brief summary of the five reported cases.

Case 1 (‘Mr. A.’): Mr. A. claimed his life was like The Truman Show, a belief that he had held for five years without his family’s knowledge. He believed the 9/11 attacks were fabricated and travelled to New York to see if the Twin Towers were still standing (and if they were, it would prove that he was the star of his own show). He believed that everyone in his life was part of the conspiracy and that he had cameras implanted in his eyes (and when he was admitted to the psychiatry department he asked to speak to the ‘director’). He was diagnosed as having schizophrenia (and more specifically a chronic paranoid type, versus substance-induced psychotic disorder).

Case 2 (‘Mr. B.’): Mr. B. believed he was being continuously recorded for national broadcast. He formulated a “plan to come to NYC and meet an unknown woman at the top of the Statue of Liberty. He expected [her] to release him from the control of an extended network of individuals who [were]. ..taping him continually…and broadcasting the tapes nationally for viewers’ enjoyment as part of a scenario similar to…The Truman Show.” He believed he “was and am the centre, the focus of attention by millions and millions of people…my [family] and everyone I knew were and are actors in a script, a charade whose entire purpose is to make me the focus of the world’s attention.” He had attempted suicide three times due to dysphoria, hopelessness, and persecutory delusions. He was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder (bipolar type) along with both crack cocaine and marijuana dependence.

Case 3 (‘Mr. C.’): Mr. C. – a journalist – had a history of depression, and was manic and psychotic. He believed that stories – in newspapers, online, and on television – were created by his colleagues in the media for his personal amusement. He believed that those around him were paid actors, that everything around him was fake, and that “all [his] associates are involved. ” During his hospitalization, Mr. C. attempted to escape to confirm that there were disparities between the news given on the ward and what was happening outside. He was diagnosed as having bipolar disorder with psychotic features.

Case 4 (‘Mr. D.’): Mr. D. actually worked on a reality television show and came to believe that he was the person whose life was actually being broadcast. He also believed all his thoughts were being controlled by a film crew paid for by his family. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, had manic episodes, and was a marijuana abuser.

Case 5 (‘Mr. E.’): Mr. E. believed that the Secret Service was following him. He had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and had bouts of depression. He described a “scheme” that he claimed was similar to The Truman Show. Gold and Gold reported that Mr. E. “believed that he was the master of the scheme, that it involved everyone in his life including the hospital staff, and that all these people were actors. He thought that he might be recorded while in hospital. He believed that the news was fabricated and that the radio was recorded for him…He believed that the scheme would end on Christmas Day and that he would be released then.” He was diagnosed with schizophreniform disorder versus methylphenidate-induced psychotic disorder.

Gold and Gold searched the academic and clinical literature for other similar scientific reports of patients with delusions of The Truman Show type but said there were none. However, they did cite a 2008 study by Fusar-Poli and colleagues in the British Journal of Psychiatry. They reported the case of a person who ‘‘had a sense the world was slightly unreal, as if he was the eponymous hero in the film The Truman Show [but] at no point did his conviction reach delusional intensity.” They also made reference to two news reports (one in 2007 and the other in 2009) of men who appear to have suffered from the TSD.

“In 2007, William Johns III, a psychiatrist from Florida, attempted to abscond with a child, Thorin Novenski, and subsequently attacked the child’s mother. A news report on the incident claims that ‘a friend of the psychiatrist reportedly told a judge that Johns said he had to go to New York to ‘get out of The Truman Show.' In 2009, Antony Waterlow, a Sydney man, murdered his father and sister while in a psychotic state. A news report stated that Mr. Waterlow believed his family was behind a ‘world wide game’ to murder him or force him to commit suicide. A doctor who interviewed the man is reported to have said that Mr. Waterlow told her in a consultation in February that he believed computers were accessing his brain through brainwaves and satellites. He said his family was screening his life on the Internet for the world to watch, akin to the film The Truman Show.”

Gold and Gold noted that their case studies gave rise to three general questions of interest: (1) How precisely should these peoples’ delusions be characterized? (2) What does the delusion contribute to the understanding of the role of culture in psychosis? (3) What does the influence of culture on delusion suggest about the cognitive processes underlying delusional belief?

Obviously, watching reality television shows does not cause psychotic or delusional episodes. However, these cases appear to highlight that those with underlying illnesses (e.g., schizophrenia) who watch reality television shows may develop delusions that seem somewhat familiar. Gold and Gold concluded that cultural insights into delusions are an essential part of understanding how these phenomena operate.

VZGLYAD / Psychologists called the disease of the XXI century :: Society

"It's My Life": Truman's Syndrome - Why ordinary people think they're on a reality show ”, about the disease named after the film. People under the influence of this syndrome abducted children, presented themselves as participants in a reality show, killed relatives and ended up in mental hospitals.

The Truman Show

In 2008, the term Truman Syndrome was coined by psychiatrist brothers Joel and Ian Gold. In their practice, they ran into young people who thought they were on the show. Interestingly, many of the victims referred to the 1998 movie The Truman Show starring Jim Carrey. According to the plot, the main character is in a reality show, but he does not know about it. All around play roles or are extras. Truman's life is filmed around the clock. His wife is an actress, his best friend is a highly paid actor, and the protagonist's city is hidden under a dome controlled by television producers.

"They said, 'Do you know the movie The Truman Show?'

And I said, "Yes."

And what did I hear? They answered: "This is my life. "

The Golds do not believe that this is a new psychological disorder. Rather, it is a type of paranoid delusion or delusion of grandeur. Truman's syndrome is close to the staged delusion, when a person believes that everything is rigged. For this reason, the syndrome is not officially recognized and is not included in psychiatric reference books. At the same time, for American society, such a disorder has been documented, while in Russia no one is engaged in its diagnosis (even indirectly). Carol Lieberman, MD and psychiatrist, has this to say about Truman Syndrome:

“There is no doubt that reality TV is dangerous for the psyche of our country. Truman's disorder is not included in the DSM [disorder manual - ed. ], and it is unlikely that this will happen anytime soon. However, this does not mean that this problem does not exist - doctors of clinics have fixed it in their practice. It's proven."

Joel and Ian Gold at some point entered into a debate with bloggers who considered the disease frivolous. In turn, they emphasized that this is not stupidity and not a form of narcissism - this is a serious psychological illness. Imagine that you think the world is a fake that fools you and tries to deceive you. This will surely make you very sad.

"You're not a psychiatrist, you're an actor"

Patients with Truman's syndrome often evade answers. They lack confidence in their physicians, but Joel and Ian Gold have documented cases of this phenomenon with detailed descriptions:

1. Mr. Ari: star of the TV show. Claimed that his life is very similar to the movie "The Truman Show". For the past five years he has been convinced that his family is actors, and cameras have been implanted in his eyes. He believed that the twin towers and the 9/11 attacks were fabricated. To make sure the towers were intact, Mr. Ari went to New York. In his opinion, if the towers were intact, then this would prove that he is the star of his own television show. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia caused by the use of psychoactive substances.
2. Mr. Ben: national hero. Complained that everyone around him was recording it on writing devices for broadcasting throughout the country. In his paranoia, he decided that he needed to meet the woman at the top of the Statue of Liberty, supposedly she would free him from the obsessive attention of an entire nation. In his opinion, the recordings were made for the entertainment of the audience, as in the Truman Show. He was sure that millions of people were watching him every day. “My family and everyone I knew were and still are actors in the script, a charade whose goal is to make me the center of attention of the whole world.” Mr. Ben tried to commit suicide three times, he was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and addiction to crack and marijuana.
3. Mr. Vaughn: journalist. Truman's syndrome in this case manifested itself against the background of depression and manic and psychotic disorder. According to Mr. Vaughn, all the stories on television, in newspapers and on the Internet were created by the media for his personal entertainment. He believed that everyone around him was paid actors, and the world around him was a fake. When he was hospitalized, he escaped from the hospital to confirm the fictitiousness of the newspapers, they say, all the articles have no connection with what is really happening on the street. Mr Vaughn was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
4. Mr. Glen: a real actor. Interestingly, this person actually participated in a reality show, but this fact was known to him. However, Truman's syndrome manifested itself in an unexpected way: Mr. Glen felt that his thoughts were controlled by a film crew, which his family paid for their services. Ultimately, he decided that his life is broadcast outside the reality show, as well as at home, at home, at a party and at work. Diagnosed with bipolar disorder with manic episodes. Mr. Glen abused marijuana.
5. Mr. Dan: system hacker. Ended up in a psychiatric hospital and claimed to know "schemes" like in The Truman Show that apply to everyone. He was convinced that he was the master of the system and forced it to work for him. The hospital staff, in his mind, were all actors, and all the news and radio were recorded especially for him. He fancied himself part of a plan that was supposed to end on Christmas. He was diagnosed with a schizoid type disorder.

Worthy of special mention is the case of William Jones, a Florida psychiatrist who abducted a child. It happened in 2007, when Jones tried to hide with Torin Nowensky, and later attacked the mother of the child. News reports claimed that William was going to New York "to escape from The Truman Show."

In 2009, Anthony Waterloo from Sydney killed his father and sister. He believed that his family was watching his life with the help of a computer, and that they themselves were part of a "worldwide conspiracy" that aimed to achieve his suicide. He also believed that computers were accessing his brain through microwaves and satellites. In his explanations, he mentioned the movie "The Truman Show".

How to detect

Diagnosis of this disorder is directly related to the movie and the belief that the person is in a reality show. At the same time, the emotions experienced by him are not always negative. Joel Gold gives a case study of one Ethan who believed he was being watched by thousands of people on laptops. For example, he weighed what to take: pizza or Chinese food. At the same time, he tried to order in those places where part of the payment goes to charity. So he believed that he was doing a good deed, because his fans would follow his example. At the same time, it was hard for him to part with solitude, but the thought of the common good forced Ethan to put up with the situation. In general, a person who suffers from Truman's syndrome cannot be confused with anyone. Especially if he talks about it himself. Otherwise, it is enough to observe the behavior of a person: his actions will certainly be irrational.

How they treat

This phenomenon is rather a side effect of the film on the sick mind. Any obsessive thought extremely quickly gets along in the head of a person with a weak psyche. The task of psychologists is to debunk misconceptions and return the patient to an adequate state. Sometimes the symptoms are alleviated or completely gone as a result of the use of special drugs. The treatment plan is selected by a specialist, taking into account the specifics of the disorder. For example, if Truman's syndrome arose against the background of depression, then it is more logical to deal with it first.

Conclusions

People think that they have no freedom of choice: that if you are on The Truman Show, you have no control over the situation. According to psychologists, such people constantly ask themselves the question: “Do I have freedom? Or am I just a bunch of jumping molecules?” Some people think that someone "from outside" controls their body, puts them in the car every morning and puts specific thoughts into the mind.

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