Faced with an increasing number of patients who believe that they are secretly being filmed as part of a reality television show, scientists and psychologists have coined the term "Truman Syndrome" to describe these types of delusions. The name refers to the 1998 film The Truman Show, which stars Jim Carrey as a man who discovers that he has unknowingly lived his entire life as the focus of a reality TV show.Telegraph: Truman Show Syndrome delusion... (November 25, 2008)
The Gold Brothers
After treating five Truman Syndrome patients, Dr. Joel Gold, head of psychiatry at New York's Bellevue Hospital, spoke about the condition at a 2006 medical conference, leading to further diagnoses and increased publicity for the disorder.NineMSN News: 'Truman Show' syndrome is a real nightmare (November 26, 2008) Joel Gold and his brother, Ian Gold, who is a professor at McGill University in Montreal, are conducting further research on the subject and compiling the information into a scholarly paper.The Associated Press: To some psychiatric patients, life seems like TV (November 25, 2008)
References
Fast Facts
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The syndrome can prove debilitating to those afflicted
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Some of those afflicted enjoy their imagined celebrity status, but most become severely paranoidNineMSN News: 'Truman Show' syndrome is a real nightmare (November 26, 2008)
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One sufferer walked into a U.S. government building and asked to be released from the reality show he believed he was starring inTelegraph: Truman Show Syndrome delusion... (November 25, 2008)
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A Truman Syndrome patient was described in the August 2008 edition of the British Journal of PsychiatryStuff.co.nz: Truman Syndrome -Life's a TV show (November 26, 2008)
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At least 50 cases of Truman Syndrome have been reported since 2006Telegraph: Truman Show Syndrome delusion... (November 25, 2008)
