Since theocracy is the rule of God or its priests, and democracy the rule of the people or of the majority, pharmacracy is therefore the rule of medicine or of doctors. ~Thomas Szasz
I was at the doctor’s the other day, and I saw something incredibly disturbing. In the examination room, there were at least seven drug or drug company logos – on two wall calendars, a clock, a clipboard, two posters and a pen. If you’ve been into any doctor’s office lately, it’s hard not to notice the immense amount of drug-branded swag that’s everywhere.
Boris Sidis was a man after my own heart – a psychologist in the early 1900’s who spoke out against what he saw as social diseases (war and eugenics, to name a few) and was in great opposition to mainstream psychology and especially intelligence tests. He published The Psychology of Suggestion: A Research into the Subconscious Nature of Man and Society, the full text of which can be found online here (beware: annoying site layout). Experiments discussed towards the center of this page illustrate that people’s minds jump immediately to what they saw the most or what they saw last. It is not a stretch to imagine that a doctor is more likely to prescribe the drug that immediately jumps to mind because it’s on the pen being used to write the prescription.
(Don't believe me? Say silk three times. What do cows drink? Most people will give an answer they know is wrong because it rhymes with the last word they said and because they have it mentally associated with cows and drinking. Now apply this concept to doctors. Scary stuff.)
The “results” section of this experiment report contains this observation: It was observed that the inclination to brand name prescribing was more and there were occasions when prescribing by generic names would have reduced the cost of treatment.
This study found that Although it is widely supposed that pharmaceutical advertising accounts for rising CCB use, this is the first study to substantiate that advertising patterns are consistent with this claim. Pharmaceutical companies devote substantial resources to drug advertising, despite assertions by physicians that they pay little attention to advertisements. Only 3% of physicians surveyed by Avorn et al described drug advertising as a "very important" influence on their prescribing practices. Beliefs regarding 2 index medications, cerebral vasodilators and propoxyphene, however, corresponded more closely with advertising claims than with published scientific evidence.
Here’s the issue: humans are suggestible. The more you see something, the more ingrained it becomes into your mind and the easier it is to access immediately. This means that doctors who see the same drug logo constantly, associating it with convenience and charity when it’s printed on useful gifts, are more likely to prescribe that drug. The more they do this, the more money the drug company gets to continue advertising in this manner, and the vicious cycle continues.
What we can do about it: Know your stuff. Be wary when you’re prescribed anything, and ask questions to make sure the doctor has thought this through. What are the alternative drugs and how do they compare in terms of price and side effects? Has it been shown to be the most effective drug for people in your exact condition (co-existing conditions, age, gender, etc.) by independent research, not the research of drug companies? Remember that for most involved, this is about your money, not your health.
Dangerous pushing-for-profit of atypical psychiatric drugs
"Pushing Prescriptions" - a report on pharmaceutical lobbying
1 comment:
It's awesome to visit this site and reading the views of all friends on the topic of this post, while I am also eager of getting knowledge.
Here is my webpage :: cheap health insurance
Post a Comment