Question

Think about the following conditions, which are commonly diagnosed and treated in today’s society:

• Hypertension
• High Cholesterol
• Obesity
• Pre-Menstrual Syndrome
• Repetition Strain Injury
• Attention Deficit Disorder
• Restless Leg Syndrome
• Prostate Cancer Screening
• Irritable Bowel Syndrome
• Social Phobia
• Erectile Dysfunction

Pick one of the above mentioned conditions to think about.

1. Do you think it fits the category of disease mongering or selling sickness? Why? Why not?

500 words

Answer 1

Disease mongering:

The pharmaceutical companies use the technique called disease mongering to expand their market.

It is the widening of the boundaries of treatable illness so as to expand the markets for those who profit from the treatment.

It is a trick by exaggerating the problems which can occur or over diagnosing simple symptoms, to pull the crowd to do extensive diagnostic tests and take up treatments.

Erectile dysfunction is one such condition where the pharmaceutical companies make money by overhyping the situation.

The inability to get or keep an erection firm enough to have sexual intercourse, is called erectile dysfunction (ED). Some people call it impotence.

This condition if it persists from the beginning of sexual life, needs treatment. But occasional ED can occur in most men’s life. The causes of it can be stress, emotional difficulty or relationship difficulty.

When once or twice the condition occurs and they search for the cause, without approaching for professional help. They usually come across, some advertisements and exaggerated explanation of the condition. The companies or agencies offering treatments for ED try to commercialize the condition, projecting ED as a threat to the person’s sexual health. The person may become panic and agree to follow the treatment modalities in order to relieve the condition.

Disease mongering is actually promoting diseases for expanding business, by panicking people. No man wants to trouble his sexual life and any condition hindering sexual life is a real psychological issue for men. So they may be ready to spend money for the diagnostic tests and treatments.

The disease mongering may be presented as:

• the normal human experiences will be projected as abnormal and in need of treatment
• Advertising a common symptom as a serious disease
• Declaring to recognize suffering which is not present
• Asserting a disease such that a large number of people have it
• Stating a disease's cause as some deficiency
• Associating a disease with a public relations campaign
• Conducting the framing of public discussion of a disease
• Misuse of statistics to exaggerate treatment benefits
• Advertising a treatment as “no harm”

Also some of the websites provide cause and consequences of the ED in wrong manner. They may try to promote the medicines and certain treatment techniques exaggerating its effects. These are unethical, but people will fall in the trick, because of the tenderness of the subject.

The major cause for occasional ED may be physical or emotional. Some of the common causes are hypertension, diabetes, CAD, obesity, increased age, anxiety, alcohol use, chronic smoking, drug use etc.

Among 30 million Americans affected with this condition, 12% are below 60 years of age. Smoking is found to be the first causative factor and next is diabetes.

Safeguarding the sexual health is every man’s right. So if the condition persists and affects the overall health of the person, then he has to approach a professional for help.

Medications are not usually the first line of treatment, it is the lifestyle changes that your doctor will be advising. Most of the issues with ED reverse, with lifestyle changes, taking up a stress free life and comfortable relationships.

The pharmaceutical companies and agencies and doctors supporting them, will be more interested in promoting the drugs manufactured by these companies. But drug therapy is the last option in ED, because of variety of side effects for these drugs. They have adverse effect on vital organs including heart and kidneys.