Truman Syndrome: People Who Believe to Live Inside a Reality Show

Imagine discovering that all the people you live with are nothing but actors and actresses, that your life is recorded 24 hours a day by hidden cameras and that you are actually the star of a reality show that is shown to the whole world. world without your permission. That's what happens with Truman Burbank in "Truman's Show, " a dramatic comedy of 1998 starring Jim Carrey. Far from fiction, individuals with Truman's syndrome believe their lives are part of a huge television show, just like the classic character that gives the disorder its name.

Truman's Show delirium was formally reported for the first time in 2008 in a study by brothers Joel and Ian Gold, psychiatrist and neurophilosopher, respectively. It all started when a patient came to Joel Gold to share his suspicion that his life was being secretly filmed and transmitted to the world. The man compared what he suffered with the film - a reference that was cited to the doctor by other patients with similar dilemmas over the years.

In the Gold Brothers' first survey, scholars cite five cases of people diagnosed with the dysfunction; three of them made mention of the 1990s movie. Since then, researchers have studied over 100 cases of individuals who experience Truman's experience in the skin (or at least in their minds). Those who suffer from delirium live with the feeling that there is a director out of sight who is guiding all the scenes of their lives.

While some people pride themselves on imaginary fame, others live deeply disturbed by what seems like a total invasion of privacy. A British Journal of Psychiatry publication reported the case of a man diagnosed with schizophrenia-related dysfunction who is unable to work. In an even more serious case, one of Gold's patients planned to commit suicide if he failed to leave the alleged reality show .

Despite becoming known as Truman's syndrome, the behavior is not officially recognized and listed as a syndrome by medical entities. What experts note is that this delirium is often linked to other psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolarity. Scientists believe that the culture in which we operate - and the way we relate to technology - can have a significant influence on the disorder.

With so many surveillance cameras and smartphones in our daily lives, it's no wonder anyone thinks they're being watched all the time. The problem with dysfunction sufferers is believing that these images are being displayed to millions of people in addition to the constant paranoia.

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