Too much reality television

C. J. Jung, among others, commented that people cannot stand too much reality. Two recent admissions to our adult acute ward illustrate a related point regarding ‘reality television’. Recent years have seen a marked increase in the quantity of such programmes, many of which contain content of a stigmatising nature.

The first case was a 24-year-old man who presented for the first time with persecutory delusions, including the belief that the hospital was a television studio. His family identified his appearance on a daytime talk show 3 months earlier as a contributory precipitant to this episode. During the programme the man had been exposed to a prolonged period of negative comments by the presenter in front of a live, as well as the TV, audience.

The second case was a 35-year-old man who had appeared on a talent show during which his audition performance had been severely criticised. He himself linked the subsequent deterioration in his self-esteem, and his feeling that people in his community saw him in a negative light, to the experience. His admission followed an episode of self-harm and he was admitted with predominantly depressive symptoms.

The British Medical Association has argued for the banning of boxing owing to the risks involved. I wonder whether the Royal College of Psychiatrists should take a similar view towards programmes that present public humiliation as entertainment.