The Truman Effect - David Hamilton

Posted by See Me, 30 September 2020

The first instalment of David Hamilton's personal story. Author of 'Mind Over! Whats the Matter?' David shares his experiences of bipolar disorder.

David's Story

I was diagnosed with bipolar at the age of 16 on the 4th February 2002. This moment of my life was one of the hardest things that I have ever went through. However, with that experience, I feel that I am a stronger person for going through it. 

Years after sustaining good routines and just driving through life I decided to park up and look back on my journey. I decided to write a book after years of mulling over it. 

My initial reason for writing the book was to make sure nobody has to go through what I went through. 
To give a good account of myself I managed to collect all of my doctors notes through months of trying to obtain them. I began to piece through them to get a good timeline of events and others views on my actions and behaviours. 

Throughout the book I have mentioned that it’s not the typical person you see in films that get sectioned into psychiatric wards. The many people I met are in everyday jobs and every walk of life. Anyone can go through a bad time. 

I released my book 18 years after my diagnosis on the 4th February 2020.

This is the first excerpt from the book that I will be sharing over the coming weeks.

The Truman Effect

For anyone who hasn’t seen the Truman show, the leading character (played by Jim Carrey) is born into a tv show. The life he lives is 24/7 in front of a live tv audience and his whole world is manufactured around him.

Before I knew it, I was back in hospital. I had a room to myself with constant supervision, but it was just me and my thoughts, I started to believe the Truman effect was happening to me. Whilst in this head space, complied with no fresh air and the beginnings of being institutionalised, my thoughts had drifted to points where I questioned everything. I questioned my life, my family, my whole existence and even live itself.

Why was this happening to me? What sort of twisted experiment was I part of? The reason in my head was obvious. The Truman show must be about me. I firmly believed everyone in the hospital were actors! Those actors being hospital staff, patients and then when my family came up to visit, I believed they actors too. Any rational thoughts were gone at that moment.