© NL Beeld

The beginning - The kinds of people who apply for reality shows vary greatly depending on the show. Some only accept those who are already minor celebrities on social media, some pick people who are unfamiliar with fame.

© Shutterstock

Fame - Whether they were previously famous or not, it hardly prepares the individual for being on camera 24/7. All of a sudden, your whole life is on show, not just the persona you created for the media.

© Shutterstock

Screening -

Most reality shows screen the participants before they let them come on the show. However, screening is not a legal requirement. At the end of the day, it is up to the show whether a person is selected or not, even if there are red flags in that person’s past.

© Shutterstock

Unstable - It is likely that people who seek fame through being a reality star are already slightly more sensitive to attention. Fame, especially when it is unrelated to a specific skill, is often something people want because they think it will solve problems.

© Shutterstock

Sensitive -

Individuals often fall for the illusion that anxiety and depression will fade if everybody admires you. Not only does being famous not solve personal issues, but it can actually invite a lot of damaging negative attention.

© Shutterstock

During - During the show, participants are under extreme pressure to be entertaining. People are not really judging their skills, but rather their personality. Their whole being is judged on a large scale, time and time again. It is easy to imagine this as a very intense experience.

© BrunoPress

Tipping point - If a participant has a history of mental illness, or even if not, the rapidly changing tides of public opinion could be strong enough to trigger something painful within them.

© Shutterstock

Mental health - Fame does not solve anyone’s problems, and usually only exacerbates them. Combining intimate scrutiny of someone’s life with widespread coverage can cause major psychological problems.

© Shutterstock

Support - People do not watch reality TV because they want to support participants to be mentally healthy. Humans are addicted to watching conflict because it’s entertaining. However, it takes a toll on the people. On set there are usually psychologists who offer therapeutic support.

© Shutterstock

Little world - In these reality shows, participants are usually isolated from the outside world. They often don’t have their phones and are literally trapped in a house together. Being away from reality not only makes the experience emotionally rich, but also means that entering back into the real world can be a huge challenge.

© Shutterstock

Immediate attention - On leaving the reality show, participants become famous without having any time to adjust. They are hounded by paparazzi and offers. It would be overwhelming, to say the least.

© Shutterstock

Post-show support - Despite the support offered on set, there is not enough. In the wake of a line of suicides following participation in reality TV shows, it came out that there is very little psychological support offered to participants after the program is filmed.

© Shutterstock

The reality - It is only recently that reality TV stars started to speak out about poor mental health support after the shows. For example, Kendall Jenner has discussed her problems with anxiety in the media. There are a high number of people who have battled addiction and other mental illnesses after finding reality TV fame.

© Getty Images

The blame -

It is often the case that the audience get carried away and have very little sympathy for the participants. While participants may have an idea of the media attention they will get, it is hard for them to truly grasp how much their lives will change.

© Shutterstock

Help - Everyone needs help sometimes. It can be difficult, when the public is watching your every move, to reach out and ask for it. It should be partly the TV program's responsibility to support the participants.

© Shutterstock

Cyberbullying - One of the most important aspects of being on reality TV is dealing with hate mail. With social media, contestants can receive hate all day and night on different platforms. It's difficult, to not say impossible, to escape what other people think in a digital world.

© Shutterstock

The public -

It is also important that the public do not get overly carried away with reality TV. Even though it seems real, a lot of it is partially scripted. Even if it is real, there is always something to be said for having empathy rather than sending hate.

© Shutterstock

‘Hell’s Kitchen’ - 'Hell’s Kitchen' is a reality show hosted by famed chef Gordon Ramsay. On the show, he can be quite harsh towards the contestants, but audiences can’t get enough of it.

© Getty Images

‘Hell’s Kitchen’ - However, several contestants have experienced serious issues while working on the show. Jessica Vogel (1983-2018) passed away from colitis that was exacerbated by a drinking disorder. Paul Giganti (1980-2017) also died from an accidental drug overdose resulting from addiction.

© Getty Images

‘The Jeremy Kyle Show’ - This show's aim was to get families and couples to reconcile their differences live on the show. However, it was criticized for the techniques it used to encourage conflict. The show made use of a polygraph test to verify the contestants’ statements.

© Getty Images

‘The Jeremy Kyle Show’ -

There has been much evidence to suggest that these kinds of tests do not always work. The show was shut down after many long-standing complaints about the mistreatment of guests. Unfortunately, it was not canceled until it became clear how negative the impact of the show was when someone took their own life a week after the filming of the last season.

© Getty Images

‘Big Brother’ - ‘Big Brother’ is a show where a group of contestants are put inside a house, isolated from reality. There are cameras everywhere and they have no access to the outside world.

© BrunoPress

'Big Brother' -

Different versions of the show exist in different countries. However, a pattern has emerged that the environment is not good for those who are affected by mental illness. There have been several contestants who have threatened to take their own lives. Others have struggled with addiction after the show, such as Jackson Michie.

© Getty Images

‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ - This show was originally meant to be about empowered women doing their own thing. While it still champions women in some way, there is also a darker side to it that involves having a perfect image.

© Getty Images

‘The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’ - It wasn’t until COVID-19 that the women on the show talked properly about mental health. When there was no show, Erika Jayne said she couldn’t get out of bed and eventually went onto the antidepressant medication Lexapro.

© Getty Images

‘The Partridge Family’ - Danny Bonaduce was a child star on this fictional show about a family of pop singers who traveled around the country performing together. In 2005, Bonaduce agreed to do a reality show called ‘Breaking Bonaduce.’

© Getty Images

‘Breaking Bonaduce’ - The show chronicled his life with his ex-wife Gretchen Hillmer Bonaduce and their kids. The program followed him becoming more mentally unstable. He even tried to take his own life twice. Luckily, he was not successful in his attempts and eventually checked into a rehabilitation center.

© Getty Images

‘Love Island’ - This show has several versions all around the world. The basic idea is that contestants have to stay in a house together and find love. Every week, new couples get together and others are voted off by the public and the other contestants.

© Getty Images

‘Love Island’ - There has been much controversy about the show after three British participants took their lives since its beginning. Not least, the famous presenter Caroline Flack (1979-2020). Since then, there has been a lot more attention focused on the duty of care the programs have towards their stars.

© Getty Images

The problem -

It is important to bear in mind that stopping reality TV will not take away mental health issues. However, being more aware and empathetic towards contestants might help in the future.

Sources: (Refinery 29) (ABC News) (Mental Health Foundation)

See also: The celebrities raising awareness about mental health

© Shutterstock