1. World problems
  2. Disease mongering

Disease mongering

  • Invented illnesses

Nature

Disease mongering is the practice of widening the diagnostic boundaries of illnesses or exaggerating their prevalence to expand markets for treatments, often driven by pharmaceutical or medical interests. This problem can lead to the medicalization of normal life experiences, unnecessary anxiety, overdiagnosis, and overtreatment. Critics argue that disease mongering exploits public fears, diverts resources from genuine health needs, and undermines trust in healthcare. It raises ethical concerns about the influence of commercial interests on medical practice and public health, highlighting the need for critical evaluation of disease definitions and the motivations behind health campaigns.This information has been generated by artificial intelligence.

Background

The phrase disease mongering was coined by medical and science writer Lynn Payer in her 1992 book Disease-Mongers: How Doctors, Drug Companies, and Insurers Are Making You Feel Sick. Payer defined this deceitful practice as “trying to convince essentially well people that they are sick, or slightly sick people that they are very ill.”

Incidence

One of the earliest examples of disease mongering is Listerine, a chemical product formulated in 1879 and used as an antiseptic, even a floor cleaner, before its marketing to dentists for in-office oral care. Then Listerine's creators started selling it directly to consumers by inventing a disease that their product “cured”: halitosis, a term borrowed from antiquated medical texts and is nothing but bad breath. Halitosis was paraded as a disease that could have dire consequences for your personal and professional life. By taking advantage of people’s insecurities, and through the creation of manipulative soap-opera-like commercials, Listerine turned into a sought-after remedy for a previously non-existent malady.

According to The Save Institute: The disease osteoporosis was developed at a WHO conference in 1992. Prior to the conference, osteoporosis was a term to describe normal loss of bone mass with ageing, like wrinkles and grey hair, not a disease to be "cured" by prescription of drugs At the conference, it was decided that “normal” bone density was that of a 30-year-old woman, the age at which bone mass typically peaks. It’s normal for a 50-year-old’s density to be less than a 30-year-old’s, and it’s ridiculous to measure the bone density of a 70-year-old against that of someone four decades younger. But at the conference, it was decided that anything below this peak density number was “abnormal” and in need of treatment..."

Claim

Disease mongering is a deeply troubling and unethical practice that manipulates public fear for profit, turning normal life experiences into medical conditions. This not only wastes precious healthcare resources but also undermines trust in medical professionals and endangers patient well-being. By exaggerating or inventing illnesses, disease mongering exploits vulnerable individuals and fuels unnecessary treatments. Addressing this issue is absolutely critical to protect public health and restore integrity to medical care.This information has been generated by artificial intelligence.

Counter-claim

The so-called issue of "disease mongering" is vastly overstated and hardly deserves serious concern. Medical advancements and increased awareness have saved countless lives, and labeling these efforts as manipulative is misguided. The real problem is underdiagnosis and lack of access to care, not too much attention to health. Accusing the medical community of inventing diseases distracts from genuine progress and undermines trust in healthcare professionals who are dedicated to improving public well-being.This information has been generated by artificial intelligence.

Broader

Narrower

Osteoporosis
Excellent
Bad breath
Unpresentable

Aggravates

Web link

SDG

Sustainable Development Goal #3: Good Health and Well-being

Metadata

Database
World problems
Type
(D) Detailed problems
Biological classification
N/A
Content quality
Presentable
 Presentable
Language
English
D7NID
240485
Editing link
Official link
Last update
Nov 2, 2022