This
paper explains that American consumers are impressionable and pharmaceutical ads can be some of the most compelling in the marketplace tending to
downplay the
risks associated with
specific drugs or list the risks in a "laundry list" at the end of a commercial or print ad. The author points out that doctors listen to their patients who clamor for a specific treatment or drugs because they have seen it advertised and feel it applies directly to their treatment or illness: Many physicians recognize the
danger it implies to the
medical community and their patients. The paper suggests that patients are
prescribing their own medications because of increased awareness due to advertising and, as the medical community continues to sanction this behavior, it seems clear that more problems and health related troubles will occur.