Can You Be A Reality TV Player?

B O S T O N, Aug. 30 -- Could reality TV cause a contestant to lose touch with reality?

While some psychologists say they fear participants on reality-TV shows like CBS’ Big Brother and Survivor are being thrown into situations that could cause a meltdown, others say these thrill-seeking personality types could take it all in stride.

With the success of these shows — some 50 million viewers watched the last episode of Survivor — and more in the works, armchair contestants may wonder if they have what it takes to play.

Some of the down sides, experts say, include severe stress analogous to POW-like conditions and depression after fame fades away. But money and a sense of accomplishment for facing a challenge could counteract the negatives.

Reality-TV wannabes can be assured CBS hired psychologists to guide every step of the process, screening the contestants beforehand, counseling them during, and debriefing them afterwards.

“It’s a pressure cooker,” says psychologist Kate Wachs, a Chicago-based relationship therapist, discussing the shows. “It’s like being a prisoner of war — being confined and watched and manipulated. You’re going to get cabin fever.”

Wachs rattles off a litany of possible clinical outcomes: “depression, anger; some might get anxious, claustrophobic and irritable.”

Shrinks Every Step of the Way

“It can be harmful, depending on how tightly-wrapped people are before they get there,” agrees Jennifer Taylor, a clinical psychologist at McLean Hospital outside of Boston. “[For] anyone who takes it very seriously, it can be harmful.”

And CBS is taking the psychological effects very seriously. In an earlier version of Big Brother in Sweden, one houseguest committed suicide after being kicked off the show.

But you don’t have to be crazy to volunteer to play: Although a Newsweek survey found only 42 percent of those polled would want to be a Survivor contestant, some shrinks admit they would consider jumping in.