Cyberchondriacs Welcome Is your life less than perfect? Don't worry - there's a pill for that. No matter what's wrong with you, you can find a diagnosis. And if there's a diagnosis, you can be sure there's an expensive cure waiting for you at the drug store. Pharmaceutical companies are raking in cash hand over fist, and for good reason. More diagnoses mean more profitable prescriptions being filled. But the diagnoses themselves are starting to get a little ridiculous. Too shy? You have social anxiety, there's a drug for that. Can't sleep? You have insomnia, there's a drug for that. No matter what ails you, you can find a diagnosis...and a corresponding prescription treatment to deal with your symptoms. Here's the problem with that: we're not really as sick as we think. Everyday occurrences have transformed into treatable conditions. Instead of writing off a sleepless night or two, people ask for sleeping pills. When heartburn hits, people call their doctors and ask for that pill they saw on TV. TV and the Internet play a large part in this growing problem. Commercials show us how much better our lives could be if only we took this pill. The Internet lets us look up real symptoms to find possible diagnoses...often with recommended drug treatment just a click away (especially on industry-funded sites). It's really a pharmaceutical marketing executive's dream - people actually asking their doctors for specific drugs... before the doctor's even seen them. At the doctor's office, when patients have a "goal" prescription in mind, people may modify their symptoms - often inadvertently - to get the cure they've come in looking for. No matter how brilliant a doctor is, he could be swayed by the symptom list and the patient's pre-diagnosis...not to mention the free samples sitting in his cupboard. Now I'm not saying information is bad, or that patients shouldn't be informed, or that all prescription drugs are bad. Medication can do wonders, when it's called for. Patients should feel free to ask their doctors pointed questions, so they can be sure they're getting the best possible care, and information can help them form the right questions. But too much of the wrong information communicated to a doctor can result in misdiagnosis, incorrect prescriptions, and very sick patients. Bottom line: Don't let advertising tell you you're sick. If you have real symptoms, tell your doctor. Listen to his diagnosis, understand his prescription. Then go online to see if the diagnosis and treatment plan make sense based on how you're feeling. | 
