Portrayal of Mental Illness on the TV Series Monk: Presumed Influence and Consequences of Exposure

Abstract

This study of responses to the TV series Monk, about a detective with obsessive-compulsive disorder, examines perceptions and behaviors related to mental illness. A total of 172 respondents completed an online survey. A parasocial bond with Monk was associated with lower stereotypes of mental illness and less social distance. Predictors and outcomes of perceived influence of the series on self and others were also examined. Perceived (positive) influence of the series on others’ attitudes was predicted by respondents’ favorable evaluation of the series’s depiction of mental illness, as well as greater perceived exposure to and favorable evaluations among family and friends. Perceived influence on others also was associated with greater willingness to disclose mental health treatment, but only among people without personal or family experience with mental illness. In contrast, perceived influence of the series on self was predicted only by respondents’ own evaluations of the series, and was related to willingness to seek mental health treatment—but only among those who had personally dealt with mental illness.

Notes

¹ The questionnaire provided a list of mental health issues, and respondents were asked to check those that they had personally experienced. Depression was reported most often, by 22.7% of the sample, followed by generalized anxiety disorder (11.6%), panic disorder (7.6%), obsessive-compulsive disorder (7.0%), social anxiety disorder (6.4%), posttraumatic stress disorder (5.2%), bipolar disorder (3.5%), schizophrenia (1.7%), and personality disorder (1.2%).

² Items retained from the 10-item scale were those that most closely reflect the sense of an affective bond between viewer and character (I look forward to watching Monk on next week’s episode; If I could, I would like to meet Monk; I feel sorry for Monk when he makes a mistake; I miss seeing Monk when the show is not on; Monk makes me feel comfortable, as if I am with a friend; Monk seems to understand the kinds of things I want to know). Two items from the original 20-item scale that describe a pseudo-social bond were also included (Monk keeps me company when his show is on television; I sometimes make remarks to Monk during the show).

³ Respondents also rated willingness to seek treatment from a medical doctor, but these two items did not form a reliable scale in this study. Since seeking treatment from a psychologist is more relevant to the experience of Monk, who saw a therapist, that measure was retained.

⁴ Means with no subscripts in common differ by the Tukey procedure.

⁵ Mental illness experience was not included as a control due to conceptual overlap with the variable of personal contact.