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Truman Show Syndrome explained

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A new psychiatric delusion dubbed Truman Show Syndrome has been detected by psychiatric experts who say sufferers are convinced their lives are part of a reality TV show.

Scientists claim the syndrome – so named because of the 1998 movie in which Jim Carey realises his routine existence is being filmed for a reality TV show – is a phenomena brought about by today's instant fame culture where self-exposure, particularly on YouTube and social networking sites like Facebook, makes people extremely vulnerable and prompts them to fantasise about their own existence.

Two experts, New York psychiatrist Joel Gold and Montreal academic, Ian Gold, say they have seen numerous cases of patients suffering from the syndrome since they first recognised the illness two years ago.

They say that the condition may seem amusing to some, but cited one man who announced at the top of a US government building that he wanted his show to end.

Dr Joel Gold, head of psychiatry at Bellevue Hospital in New York, described the disorder as 'absolutely debilitating' as sufferers believe nobody is trustworthy. Gold revealed he had recently treated a girl who had contemplated suicide as a way of 'escaping the show'.

Treatment for the illness has also proved difficult as sufferers also believe doctors and psychiatrists are actors in the television show.

Dr Gold commented on the syndrome saying: 'We're not claiming it's a new form of mental illness and we're not suggesting these people would be well if there was no YouTube.'

'But we've passed a watershed moment with respect to the internet, in which you can do something very silly and without skill, and yet become famous instantly. That can be very exciting for many people but for those who are at risk of this kind of paranoia, it can be very stressful.'

For sceptics of the illness who believe sufferers are simply narcissists, Dr Gold added: 'These are not people who want to be famous. Quite the contrary, they want to be left alone.'

Other experts have also recognised the condition. In London researchers described a 'Truman Syndrome' patient in the British Journal of Psychiatry in August this year. The 26-year-old postman reportedly 'had a sense the world was slightly unreal, as if he was the eponymous hero in the film'.

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