Can a Television Show Really Know What It is Talking About?
There are many shows on television that are too good to be true and so far from the truth. Even so called reality TV is unbelievable and come to find out most of it is staged, prompted or enhanced. There is one show that stands out because it is different from the rest. This fictional show portrays some real life issues, a psychological disorder called dissociative disorder and how real people would act and react. This television show is much better than reality television and most television shows that are on the air today.
Dissociative disorder has been around for years. It is most commonly known as multi-personality disorder from previously being labeled as such prior to the American Psychological Associations Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition, Text Revision (DSM IV TR). This psychological disorder was made popular by such movies such a Sybil (1976), The Three Faces of Eve (1957), and Me, Myself, and Irene (2000).
Dissociative disorder has been defined as “a category of DSM-IV disorder in which emotional conflicts are so repressed that a separation or split in the personality occurs, resulting in an altered state of consciousness or a confusion in identity. Symptoms may include amnesia, somnambulism, fugue, dream state, and dissociative identity disorder. It is caused by an inability to cope with severe stress or conflict and usually occurs suddenly, after a situation catastrophic to the person. Treatment may include hypnosis, especially when amnesia is the primary symptom; psychotherapy; and use of antianxiety medication. Also called dissociative reaction. Compare conversion disorder. See also dissociation.”
It has also been confused by the general public with schizophrenia, “a psychotic disorder (or a group of disorders) marked by severely impaired thinking, emotions, and behaviors. Schizophrenic patients are typically unable to filter sensory stimuli and may have enhanced perceptions of sounds, colors, and other features of their environment. Most schizophrenics, if untreated, gradually withdraw from interactions with other people, and lose their ability to take care of personal needs and grooming.”
The United States of Tara is a Showtime original series created by Diablo Cody and executively produced by Steven Spielberg since 2009-2011. It is about a women, wife, mother, sister, and daughter who is surviving from dissociative identity disorder (DID). With a handful of various personalities that just appear with seemingly no warning, the stories depict what is really close to real life situations while Tara herself, along with her husband, two children, sister, family and friends handle these episodes of DID. From Tara showing up as a guy named Buck to her teenage daughter’s school performance to showing up as Alice a 1950’s home maker to the ‘T” to a parent and teacher conference for her gay teenage son. Also there are the family and friends that do not understand such as Tara’s sister calling what Tara has as schizophrenia.
Those are just some of the beginning, everyday situation this family, like real families, have to deal with in having a loved one who is surviving from dissociative identity disorder. Take a look for yourself and see why The United States of Tara is one of the best and seemingly realistic television shows today. (http://www.sho.com/site/tara/home.sho)
Related articles
- Series on Integration from Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) (faithallen.wordpress.com)
- Bridgeway Counseling Treats Multiple Personalities & Dissociative Identity Disorder: Idaho, USA (jeanettebartha.wordpress.com)
- Sleep, Social Cues, and Dissociative Disorders (psychologicalscience.org)
- Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) Treatment Facility: The Timberlawn Mental Health System (jeanettebartha.wordpress.com)
- Dissociative Identity Disorder & Multiple Personality Blogs, Websites & Support Groups (jeanettebartha.wordpress.com)
- Integration from DID: Concerns about Integration (faithallen.wordpress.com)
- Dissociative Identity Disorder Organization: PODS (Positive Outcomes for Dissociative Survivors) (jeanettebartha.wordpress.com)
- Television Review: United States of Tara (atallfourcorners.wordpress.com)
This is so true, there are many shows out there today that seem real and in reality they are fake. The sad part is that many of us (t.v. watchers) get hooked on these type of shows. The media really knows how to catch our attention.
I definitely share an annoyance with there being so many television shows that claim to portray “reality” but in actuality can be even more scripted than fiction shows.
I had heard about the title of this show before but never gave it a second thought. Knowing what the plot is has gotten me interested in it. There are few shows that do well when tackling real-life issues. Many give a superficial view of the topic and resolution of it, especially sitcoms. I’ve watched a few shows that have made a mockery of diseases such as dissociative disorder. While they can make situations hilarious and irresistible to laugh at they also fail to show the gravity of the conditions and the difficulty shared by the person suffering from the disorder and their caretakers.
My grandfather had schizophrenia so I’m well aware of the obstacles that this disorder and similar ones present for the family. My grandfather, for example, had a fear that the government were out to get him, that they’d send signals through the television, radio, toaster, and other electronic devices to cause him physical harm. To combat this he boarded up all the windows in his home and would put up large mirrors everywhere outside. He would spray-paint a lot of objects silver, including cows (my grandparents owned a small farm). It was a lot of stress on my grandmother, parents, and their siblings, especially when he would have his more violent episodes.
It is great to know that there are some television shows that are doing well in showing what the reality of the situation is. Thank you for a great article.