Britain popping “pills for every ill”, says research

By Dr. Ananya Mandal, MDMar 30 2010

A new study reports that Britons are turning to prescription drugs for every illness, minor or major. This recent paper titled “A Pill for Every Ill”, published in Social Science & Medicine journal says that while two decades earlier average number of prescriptions dispensed per person was only eight, it is more than 16 now.

Author Professor Joan Busfield, from Essex University, said the age of "stoicism" was dead and argued that Britain was becoming more like France, with its "long-established tradition of taking medicines to heal problems". She said: "I think drugs are being overused. The population is getting healthier and healthier, longevity is increasing, but we are using more and more drugs."

She believes pharmaceutical manufacturers as well as patients themselves are responsible for this to some extent. Some of the reasons associated with this rise according to her include -

• "Disease-mongering" by the companies i.e. coming up with new disease entities like sexual dysfunction, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and high cholesterol to increase sales.
• The Clinical trials that prove efficacy of drugs are now sponsored by pharmaceutical companies and results are more often than not favorable for them she said.
• She said Companies often use stategies of "intensively marketing" products by sponsoring conferences and giving gifts. She said: "Companies claim such promotional activity is designed to inform practitioners about new, more effective products. And practitioners themselves, whilst recognising the blandishments of the industry, usually argue their prescribing is not influenced by industry's endeavours….However, the evidence indicates it is and that even small gifts can influence behaviour."
• Patient behaviour according to her has also changed with most of them “demanding” medication."Patients are more demanding than they were. The old idea of being deferential and accepting what you are told has gone," she said.