When you turn on the television to various stations or open a magazine, you are guaranteed to see an advertisement for a prescription drug. Even though these ads are geared to certain age groups and different sexes, people who don’t fit into the categories for certain medicines start believing that they do need them.
We all know that is the purpose of advertising, but this doesn’t need to be done with prescription drugs.
It leads the viewers to believe they have an illness or condition that they probably don’t have.
In the ads people are always looking depressed and sick, and a voice-over is asking, “Do you feel this way?”, “Do you have this?” Since the television is questioning you, you begin questioning yourself: “Maybe I do have that?”
The commercials end with happy-looking people with lots of personality. This persuades you even further in believing that you need to run to your doctor, so you may be that happy colorful person.
A few years ago I saw an ad for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). I was sold, I just knew I had it, and I needed that prescription drug to cure it. Every question they asked on the commercial I answered “yes.” So, I must have it if I answered “yes” to a television commercial quiz.
However, I never did what the ads told me to do and go ask my doctor about getting a prescription for it.
I just diagnosed myself, but never did anything about it. I just led myself and everyone else I knew into believing I had PMDD.
To this day, I’m still not quite sure if I do have PMDD since I haven’t seen a television commercial advertisement for it in years.
Ads for PMDD are one of the very few of heavily advertised prescription drugs. There are plenty for natural male enhancement, allergies, sleeping pills, anti-depressants, and then there’s the commercials that don’t tell you exactly what it’s for.
Those are usually for high blood pressure or something less exciting than natural male enhancement.
The only positive effect with heavy advertising for prescription drugs is making someone aware of their health. I’m sure there are cases of people questioning themselves after viewing one of these commercials, and actually helping a condition they didn’t know they had. But there are probably many more cases of people asking their doctors about countless prescriptions just because they’ve seen it on TV or in a magazine.