Do You Have Drug Ads-Induced Hypochondria?

Years before Covid, as a health journalist I reported that opioids were overprescribed and not safe—a position that was, of course, vindicated by history. But, at the time, my cautionary reporting led to a Twitter storm of hysterical “You’re Not Taking My Opioids” tweets as if I had an evil plan…and the power.

Undaunted, I then reported that thyroid supplements were overprescribed and not the answer to obesity and overeating––leading to similar hysterical “You’re Not Taking My Thyroid pills” tweets.

Guess what happened when I reported that depression is over-diagnosed, the chemical imbalance theory of depression is untrue and that psych drugs are overprescribed? “How Dare You Imply That I Am Not Depressed, You Ableist?” came the Twitter storm. I had not even heard the term “ableist” before!

Do people want to be sick? Is there some perverse identity or empathy that being sick confers? Does it give people a mission and a purpose?

The Language Has Changed

It’s been at least ten years since Big Pharma––increasingly the “Fourth Estate”––elevated depression to the default human condition to sell psych drugs. If you are not ecstatically happy at all times said the messaging from Pharma and the many “patient groups” it funds, you are “depressed.” No matter that you might have real problems with your job, the economy, your family or the government; no matter that “ecstatically happy” is not the normal human state (and too often amounts to oblivion to societal problems as in “What Me Worry?”). Your anxiety and depression are “mental illness” says Pharma. Ka-ching.

The new “mental illness” gave birth to the lucrative “behavioral medicine” centers that now haunt so many hospitals….and the avalanche of “let’s talk,” “we care,” “mental health” apps online that are also Pharma fronts.

Depression was once a self-limiting condition not “major depressive disorder.” Mood swings were once “life” not bipolar disorder. Little boys were little boys not suffering from ADHD. Heartburn and eating too much too quickly was not GERD. Fat people were fat not “living with obesity” but that’s before the new diet drugs that cost $1,400 for a 30-day supply. (In UK, obesity is addressed by regulating junk food advertising—what a concept.) All of the drug “solutions” hawked come with their own risks such as fractures from antidepressants and C-Diff from GERD medicines. But of course drugmakers have treatments for them too…

Everyone “Suffers” and Drugmakers Are Glad

Since the FDA issued ad guidelines in 1997 and direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising vaulted into our living rooms, almost everyone “suffers” from an advertised health condition ranging from seasonal allergies, high cholesterol, dry eye, depression and bipolar disorder to the many catchy “initial” diseases like ADHD, ED, EPI, GERD, IBS, AMD, GA and RA. (There was a time “suffering” was not in most people’s vocabulary.)

DTC advertising is reminiscent of cigarette advertising, banned in 1970. Once upon a time, ads for Virginia Slims (“You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby”), Salem (“It’s Natural’) and Chesterfield, Tareyton, Lucky Strike, Old Gold, Kool, Philip Morris and other cigarettes abounded. People liked them, they made money for cigarette makers and news outlets and what was to not like? Except for the lung cancer. Will drug ads reach a similar culmination?

I recently attended a medical conference where young women told me that having bipolar disorder made them “cool” on social media. It gave them an identity, a mission and got them empathy. At least they weren’t on opioids.

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