Advertising and Abuse of Drugs

Among the many problems of drug advertising, the promotion of psychotropic drugs should be a source of major concern. A 10-year survey of a score of medical and psychiatric journals1 shows that physicians are encouraged to use these drugs as "treatment of choice" for what are problems of everyday living — not traditional mental illnesses. We see pictures and captions of women distressed by washing dishes or giving a child a bath, of athletes who must be quickly returned to the game, of men who are irritated by environment noise, etc. — conditions hardly psychiatric diseases. Other advertisements are directed . . .