Are We Being Overdiagnosed?
by William Hale, Ph.D., UCS/CBH
Think about it for a minute. In the last week how many TV ads have you seen hyping the latest pill for insomnia, erectile dysfunction, and restless leg syndrome?
Probably several.
In the past few years, could it be that the latest and greatest epidemic has become, not "social anxiety" or the winter blues, but the wave of new diagnoses for what we used to think of as some of life's expected inconveniences?
In the wake of all the new diagnoses appearing as quickly as new miracle drugs to treat them, it could make one wonder if these newly touted illnesses and their treatments might ultimately become more of a problem than the purported problems themselves. Ever wonder how many prescriptions the average American takes in a day? According to the Center for Disease Control, Americans take more prescriptions than the citizens of any other country in the world. In 1993, the average number of prescriptions taken by the average American in a year was seven. In 2004, that number had grown to 12, with an average cost of $850 per person.
The question has been asked repeatedly: Is the American pharmaceutical industry putting profits before people? Granted, advances in technology and pharmaceutical research continue to produce an abundance of lifesaving products for which we can be very thankful. However, where do we draw the line between the blessings of a new medical breakthrough and the hawking of an unnecessary drug created to chase a newly trumpeted ailment which is nothing more than common inconvenience a scarier name than it had before?
For example, shyness has become "social anxiety", treatable with an antidepressant. Most any level of distractibility has become attention deficit disorder, treatable with several dangerously addictive stimulants which have come to be widely abused in secondary schools and universities as "study drugs."
In a recent New York Times article, it was pointed out that the thresholds for diagnosing many diseases, including diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, osteoporosis and obesity have fallen significantly in the recent past. The result? Now over half the people in the USA can be diagnosed with some disease. This, then, begs the question: If half of us are now "sick", what does that do to the definition of "well"?
Every chemical concoction we put into our bodies to stave off some ailment comes with a cost -- unpleasant or often harmful side effects -- not to mention potential long-term harm of which we may not yet be aware. For those suffering with legitimate illnesses that significantly impact the quality of life, or threaten life overall, the benefits of treatment most often outweigh the side effects or risks. However, when do the negatives of a drug treatment begin to outweigh the positives, especially when used for some minor condition, often renamed by the big business drug companies for the sake of increasing their bottom line?
As Americans, do we really need all the drugs we are taking? How much time do we spend engaging in more healthy behaviors which could help eliminate some of our perceived problems? Trouble sleeping? Try some sleep hygiene techniques. Feeling down in the winter? Try a little more exercise and maybe, spend some more time out in the natural light. The list could go on, but that is not the focus of this article.
Yes, it is definitely easier to take a pill for something at the expense of managing some of our symptoms with a more holistic and definitely less expensive approach. We are indeed a culture of convenience, and that is quickly getting us in trouble in many ways. Next time you think about asking your doctor for the latest drug to treat what you may have just heard that you might have, how about asking your doctor what you can do to improve your mood, your sleep or your concentration naturally. Who knows what might happen. Just a thought.
For more information on the diagnosis epidemic, the health dangers associated with it and the monetary agenda behind it all, consider reviewing the following books:
Big Pharma: Exposing the Global Healthcare Agenda, by Jackie Law
Generation Rx: How Prescription Drugs Are Altering American Lives, Minds, and Bodies, by Greg Crister
Overdosed America: The Broken Promise of American Medicine, by John Abramson. M.D.
Selling Sickness: How the World's Biggest Pharmaceutical Companies Are Turning Us All into Patients, by Ray Moynihan & Alan Cassels