Influence of Patients’ Requests for Direct-to-Consumer Advertised Antidepressants

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Abstract
Spending on direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising of prescription drugs in the United States totaled $3.2 billion in 2003.1 Although expenditures may be leveling off,2 DTC advertisements have become a stable, if controversial, feature of the media landscape.3-6 Critics charge that DTC advertisements lead to overprescribing of unnecessary, expensive, and potentially harmful medications, while proponents counter that they can serve a useful educational function and help avert underuse of effective treatments for conditions that may be poorly recognized, highly stigmatized, or both.7