The Pharmaceutical Industry's Hold on Doctors

Why is it, one may ask, that the dangers of such drugs seem to be lost upon the doctors who prescribe them? Excluding the truly evil psychiatrists, of which there must be some, one is still left with a large number of honest doctors practicing truly dangerous, harmful medicine. How is this so? Well, the answer lies in the hidden power the pharmaceutical industry has over doctors. Even if a psychiatrist is an honest decent human being, he/she has usually been so propagadized by the industry that such admirable qualities no longer make much a difference. Prescribing has just become a habit, a conditioned reflex. And behind this conditioning lie the makers of the drugs the psychiatrist dispenses. The drug makers not only market their products to consumers in a scandalous, shameful way, they do the same to doctors. The main professional association for psychiatrists is largely underwritten by the industry, and its meetings seem more like indoctrination sessions. And out in the field, armies of drug company representives scour the nation in search of that last doctor who hasn't heard of the unique benefits his company's product. (In fact drug reps are a bit of a growth industry, if your're unemployed and totally unethical click here)These drug reps make all kinds of underhanded,sleazy, and tempting offers to doctors to coax them into prescribing thier product. A study by the Britsh Medical Journal has found that these tatics do indeed make it more likey that a doctor will presribe the drug. Psychiatric drugs are no exception. With a scene like this, it's no wonder doctors find it hard to seperate fact from fiction, good medicine from profit-taking quackery.