Back in 1979, I read a short story in a science fiction collection about a man who was obsessed with the news. He constantly read, listened to, and watched the events of the day most of his day. Some sort of trigger event occurred, and the man disappeared. A psychologist became fascinated with the man's story and eventually tracked him down to a remote forest where he lived a primitive existence. (When the psychologist discovers the man, he is squatting at the edge of a cliff, using gravity to convey his waste away.) The man has lost all ability to speak and has no memory of his life before his disappearance. After much work, the psychologist restores the man's memory. The man tells the psychologist that he was "diminished by the news."
I cannot remember the full ending, though this story has stayed with me for decades (and the feeling of chilling surprise it left me with).
