The perception is there because it gets a lot of publicity. Whenever something gets a lot of publicity, there is always a perception that it is occurring more often than before it was publicized.
Sure. Sometimes. And sometimes (as in my own case on this subject), the perception came first. This is a complex phenomenon, maybe several phenomena under a single category, possibly with both genetic predispositions and environmental triggers at work. Plus, sample groups that keep moving geographically and are hard to define rigorously.
But dismissing personal observation is not scientific. It's illogical to say that because publicity can make a phenomenon appear more frequent, whenever a phenomenon appears frequent, it must be as a result of publicity. Gut impressions are actually the source of most hypotheses. The scientific method comes in when you test them. A lot hinges on who does the testing, and how well-designed and honest the tests are.