"Truman Syndrome" Makes People Believe They're Starring In A Reality TV Show

"Truman Syndrome" Makes People Believe They're Starring In A Reality TV Show

Ever find yourself talking about characters in TV shows as if they’re real people? I’ll admit it, I have. But do you ever think that your life IS a reality TV show? This I cannot say that I’m guilty of, but if you are you may suffer from the newly discovered “Truman Syndrome.”

 

Researchers in both the United States and Britain have simultaneously come across patients that confuse reality with reality TV. They think that everyone in their life is actors, their lives are a set, and they are the star of a TV show (sounds like an extreme case of narcissism to me).

 

This new condition is named after the movie, “The Truman Show.” It was one of Jim Carrey’s first adventures away from being a pet detective and towards being a respectable, award-winning dramatic actor.

 

The movie details the suburban, monotonous life of the content, happy Truman Burbank. He goes through life with a smile on his face until he realizes something is a little off. After a long struggle against his entire “town,” Truman discovers that he’s living in a reality TV show and he’s the star. Everyone around him is an actor—his wife, neighbor, best friend, the postman. His surroundings are all just a set and the creepy Big Brother director has controlled every aspect of his life since he emerged from the womb.

 

More than 50 people that display Truman syndrome symptoms have been discovered around the world. I wonder how many more there are out there.

 

Doctors often confuse the delusions with schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease, but Truman syndrome has a life of its own.

 

Rest assured, though, because researchers say that only the already mentally ill are usually afflicted with the disease. Watching too much TV every week isn’t going to leave you with Truman syndrome—just a waste of time.

 

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