TV Series in Mainstream Media Depicting Autism and Self-Diagnosis of Autism in a General Population of Young Adults

Abstract

Purpose The prevalence of autism diagnoses has increased in recent years. The portrayal of autistic characters in mainstream media, such as TV series, may be a contributing factor. This study investigated whether young adults who consume media featuring autistic characters are more likely to self-diagnose with autism. Methods 348 participants filled out an online questionnaire exploring their media consumption, subjective diagnosis of autism and objective indicators of autism using an Emotion Recognition Task. Results Results from linear regression analysis indicated a significant correlation between media consumption and self-diagnosis, while valence of the series and objective diagnosis did not have a significant influence. The study found no gender differences. Conclusion The results suggest a need for further research on the relationship between media consumption and self-diagnosis, including for other forms of media beyond TV series.

Implications of Online Self-Diagnosis in Psychiatry

“…Media coverage, along with celebrity revelations of mood disorders, have contributed to increased self-diagnosis of bipolar disorder [45]. Media consumption of TV shows depicting autism by young adults has been linked to increased self-diagnosis of autism [46].…”