Slashdot Mirror
Are TV Pharmaceutical Ads Damaging?
trivialscene asks: "ABC News is carrying an article about a recently published study in the medical research journal Annals of Family Medicine which examined prime time television ads run by pharmaceutical companies. The researchers concluded that the generally ambiguous ads, which appeal almost entirely to emotion rather than fact, tend to confuse viewers. They also suggest that the ads may be creating problems at the doctor's office, as some people might become convinced they need a particular medication and insist on getting it, rather than leaving the decision to trained medical professionals. What do you think about the presence of drug advertisements on television?"
I have been misdiagnosed many times. Thanks to my ability to do research on the net, I have been able to diagnose medical problems in myself which my doctor missed.
So my point is.... you're just wrong.
A slashdotter who didn't build his own computer is like a Jedi who didn't build his own lightsaber.
"No, one exception does not prove a rule wrong."
Rules with many exceptions aren't terribly useful.... The primary reason to see a doctor results from the state granting a monopoly on prescriptions. If I need a prescription drug, I have to go to a doctor. Even when I know more about the condition than the doctor (which is typical).