Educational or Sensational?

Ninety-two young adults were randomly assigned to watch two episodes of , a reality television program depicting the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder using exposure therapy, or two episodes of another reality television program (). Participants in condition ( = 35) endorsed significantly fewer negative beliefs about exposure therapy than participants in the condition ( = 42). Participants' obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms did not moderate the beneficial effects of watching These results provide preliminary evidence that reality television programs can have a modest psychoeducational benefit and might be used to change attitudes about mental health problems and their treatment.