It’s been said that medical science has become sufficiently advanced so that there are no more healthy people. While that may be a slight exaggeration, it’s not far from the truth. I’m sure if anyone went to get as thorough a medical exam as is possible, everyone would have more than a few things “wrong” with him or her. I’m not talking about the traditional physical illnesses here in the sense of blocked arteries or broken arms or depression etc, which are obviously serious conditions that should be treated. Instead, let’s look at the latest craze – drugs for people who cannot (or, rather, will not) handle normal life. Over-diagnosis at it’s worst.
Many of the medical companies aren’t making things any better with their way of marketing some of these products. In fact, it probably isn’t too much to say that it’s partly (mostly?) thanks to them that this you – need – drugs – to – get – through – life – attitude has taken hold in the first place. Let’s take Phizer’s Zoloft, for example. Here’s a page on using Zoloft to treat Social Anxiety Disorder. First of all, WTF is a social anxiety disorder? Well, let’s take a look at the site. It says, among other things, that “social anxiety disorder can make you fear speaking in front of groups.” And if you absolutely have to do this thing, you might have such serious symptoms as blushing and a fast heart beat! Oh give me a break! Who doesn’t sometimes feel like that? One thing I’ve also wondered is how many kids particularly in the US really have AD/HD or similar disorders, and how many just get drugs for it because their parents can’t handle an active child?
Sure the Zoloft page says that only a doctor can tell if you have this disorder. But doctors are humans, too – they can be (and are) influenced by drug companies in exactly the same way the rest of us. And nowadays you get more and more patients who have self-diagnosed themselves on the Internet and are demanding a drug A or B, by name and all. And basically refuse to leave without this particular pill. What is a doctor to do? Only too often the doctor gives in and prescribes this drug. Who knows, it may even help – if only because of the placebo-effect.
This topic actually intertwines with this movie I just saw, Garden State, which is about a guy who’s been medicated (basically sedated) for all of his childhood and adult life, only to realize the drugs are just blocking out everything that makes humans human – emotions. More about the movie sometime later, though.
