What is truman syndrome


The Truman Show Delusion: Real or Imagined?

A few delusional people are convinced they are stars of an imaginary reality show, but doctors disagree on whether it's only an act.

Written by Suzanne Wright

Two doctor/brothers, Joel and Ian Gold, have identified symptoms of a mental illness unique to our times: the Truman Show delusion, named for the 1998 movie that starred Jim Carrey as a suburbanite whose movements were filmed 24/7 and broadcast to the world. The two say a handful of individuals are convinced they are stars of an imaginary reality show.

Though limited, their findings are creating a buzz in the media and the psychiatric community: Is it possible that reality TV is shaping delusions?

In an interview with WebMD, Joel Gold says, “The Truman Show delusion encompasses a patient’s entire life. They believe their family, friends, and co-workers are all reading from scripts and their home, workplace, and hospital are all sets. They believe they are being filmed for the whole world to see.

Joel Gold, who is on the psychiatric faculty of New York’s Bellevue Hospital and serves as a clinical assistant professional of psychiatry at New York University's School of Medicine, first began to see the symptoms dubbed Truman Show delusion in 2002 with patients at Bellevue Hospital. He initially treated five white male patients with middle-class upbringing and education, all who likened themselves to actors on reality TV shows. Three specifically referenced the movie TheTruman Show, giving rise to the disorder’s name.

“It’s important to state that Truman Show delusion is a symptom of psychosis,” Joel Gold says. “People who choose to be the center of attention, have concerns about social standing, or who may fear being in public eye or seek it out, may be more drawn to identify with this delusion. I don’t think people are making it up or choosing it.”

Both Golds are careful to say that the Truman Show delusion is not a new diagnosis, but rather, as Ian Gold says, “a variance on known persecutory and grandiose delusions. ” Ian Gold, PhD, holds a Canada Research Chair in philosophy and psychiatry at McGill University in Montreal.

Although some psychologists scoff at the notion that cultural Zeitgeist can shape delusions, the phenomenon has precedence.

Joseph Weiner, MD, PhD, chief of consultation psychiatry at North Shore University Hospital/Manhasset and associate professor of clinical psychiatry and medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, weighed in via email about what he saw during his psychiatry residency.

“I recall two patients in one week who stated that they were Elizabeth Taylor; in the 1940s, psychotic patients would express delusions about their brains being controlled by radio waves; now delusional patients commonly complain about implanted computer chips,” Weiner says. “Because reality shows are so visible, it is an area that a patient can easily incorporate into a delusional system. Such a person would believe they are constantly being videotaped, watched, and commented upon by a large TV audience.

Among the skeptics are Jill P. Weber, PhD, a licensed clinical psychologist in Vienna, Va. “The idea that more people are becoming delusional due to reality TV or The Truman Show phenomenon is tenuous, as it is likely that these people would have become psychotic with or without these influences, but the content of the delusion would be different. If we lived in a world of no TV, and entertainment was in the form of tribal dance, someone who is psychotic may begin to believe that the dance is only for them.”

Still, other experts acknowledge the possibility.

Simon Rego, PsyD, associate director of psychology training at New York’s Montefiore Medical Center, is intrigued by the notion but wants to see if more patients emerge in other cities and countries over time.

“We know that although core themes are quite stable, shifts take place,” he says. “For example, after 9/11, we saw a lot of delusional content about terrorists. With the exponential growth of reality TV and the use of personal web cams and Facebook, some people may be susceptible to developing Truman Show delusion. The danger is self-labeling -- that we are creating a phenomenon -- not discovering one. There’s a difference.”

Carole Lieberman, MD, a Beverly Hills-based media psychiatrist, says, “There is no question that reality TV is dangerous to our nation’s psyche. The Truman Show delusion has not been incorporated into the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association, and it is unlikely that it will be anytime soon. However, this doesn’t necessarily negate the clinical experiences of the Drs. Gold.”

Ian Gold says that although TheTruman Show film was played as for laughs, “there was an undercurrent of horror that was really powerful, that captures something of what this artificial environment would be like. Imagine if nobody was authentic [in your life], if every encounter you had was watched and you were utterly alone. The emails I have received since the story broke have brought home to me how terrifying this experience is.”

His brother concurs with the seriousness of the subject matter. Joel Gold has been bothered by some bloggers who have dismissed the Truman Show delusion as frivolous.

“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

October 26, Wednesday | Last updated 03:58 | vz.ru

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          Psychologists have named a new disease of the XXI century

          Truman's Syndrome - this is how scientists called a kind of mental disorder, when a person thinks that he plays a leading role in a worldwide reality show, everything around him is scenery, and the events that happen to him are invented by someone. In recent years, there have been more and more people with this way of thinking, and psychologists already call this deviation the "syndrome of the 21st century."

          The syndrome got its name from Peter Weir's The Truman Show starring Jim Carrey.

          Austrian doctors dealt with a woman who was absolutely sure that she had turned into a walking webcam. His life is one long television show: the city is a giant studio, the people who live and work in it are Hollywood actors. Even the hero's wife is a guest artist. The comic effect is that in the end the hero of the film goes to the US government with a demand to stop his show.

          According to a study by scientists Joel and Jan Gold, published by The Telegraph, social networks that have become popular (in particular, Facebook * and YouTube) have become a kind of “flare” and at the same time a trap for vulnerable people. Networks inspire incredible fantasies that addicts embody in the global virtual space.

          Scientists emphasize the role of the Internet, which makes it possible to communicate without limits, search for new friends without getting to know them personally. With the help of the Network, it is easy to make acquaintances even for those who are under stress when talking with new people.

          “But it's not at all certain that if it weren't for YouTube, these people would be all right,” emphasizes Dr. Joel Gold.

          People caught in the trap of "another life" are not easy to treat, because they take doctors for actors. Scholars give an example of how one girl committed suicide, confident that this was the only way to "get out of the show."

          Another patient found himself in a federal building in downtown Manhattan, asking for political asylum so he could get out of his reality show for real.

          London scientists most clearly describe Truman's syndrome on the example of a 26-year-old patient who had complete confidence in the unreality of the world around him, and felt himself the hero of the film.

          Director David Fincher tried to portray something similar in the film The Game. The protagonist, Nicholas (Michael Douglas), receives a birthday present from Consumer Recreation Services, who invites him to play the Game. Nicholas agrees, but at first nothing much happens, he returns to a normal lifestyle. However, the very next day, his existence begins to resemble a subtle psychological experiment. His life becomes like someone invented a movie script.

          Many psychiatrists believe that this kind of illusion is influenced by the level of culture and technology. For example, Austrian doctors dealt with a woman who was absolutely certain that she had turned into a walking webcam.

          Dr. Joel Gold, who is writing a book on Truman's Syndrome, describes many cases from his practice. So, one of the patients wanted to see the "twin towers" live. He did not believe that they were destroyed by terrorists, and was convinced that the drama was played out in front of him on television.

          After scientists proved the reality of Truman's syndrome, they were divided over its nature. Some experts argue that patients living with the illusion of an artificial world are sure that all their relatives are figureheads and impostors. And they themselves live in order to become famous in the media space.

          "It's very exciting for many, but equally dangerous for the paranoid," says Joel Gold.

          Other researchers argue that people with such disabilities do not want to become famous, on the contrary, they want to be left completely alone.

          Truman's syndrome is one of the challenges of the times. With the infinitely growing influence of the Internet, the very communication between people, its perception, is also changing. People take ICQ correspondence for a real conversation, and posting a blog post for maintaining relationships with friends. A simple phone call is replaced by a short SMS, and rare paper letters are replaced by a flood of messages mixed with spam in e-mail.

          Of course, some people normally perceive such changes, instantly adapting to the new electronic reality and calmly separating it from real life. Others are so deeply imbued and saturated with "secondary reality" that one day they cease to identify themselves with ordinary people. It is they who are affected by the syndrome, scientists conclude.

          * The organization(s) have been liquidated or their activities are prohibited in the Russian Federation

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"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.

What makes people think they are on a TV show? How to detect this disorder and how to treat it? Read about the Truman syndrome and its strangest manifestations in a new article by Royal Cheese.

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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