Do Pharmaceutical Companies Create Diseases to Sell Their Product?

Do pharmaceutical companies take advantage of Americans by advertising all of this medicine and putting it in our minds that we need it? Although the medicinal advertisements on television and in publications are very strong and frequent, I do not see this as a form of any violence, whether it is psychological, structural, etc. Everyone has a personal choice, we do not have to go and buy the expensive brands of medicine, especially when there are opportunities to purchase generic brands of almost every major pill that work just as well. And in reality, if the demand for these expensive pills goes down because of the increase in generic purchases, then the price should go down, according to the laws of supply and demand. There are always ways for people to save money in terms of prescription drugs, it just takes some extra time and thought to think of these ways.

Also, in terms of the idea that pharmaceutical companies are 'creating' diseases to sell their product, I agree in some aspects but not in others. For example, the emphasis that was spent speaking about the fact that ADHD and ADD are some of these creations, I strongly disagree. There are people who legitimately have ADD and ADHD and the medicine that is prescribed to them actually helps and improves their attention span and behavioral characteristics. In a nation that so strongly promotes education, these things are required in order to receive a solid education. But, the problem with this disease and the medications used to treat it are not that the pharmaceutical companies are over promoting the drugs, it is that Americans are taking advantage of the disease in order to avoid having to spend constructive time working with their children. We also take advantage of it by "self-prescribing" ourselves with ADD and then sharing our medicine with others so that they get some sort of "high" off of it. This is just another case of Americans trying to find the quick, easy way out in order to save time and energy. But the fact that pharmaceutical companies have established drugs, beta-blockers, to reduce nervousness during public speaking is absurd! Why do we need a pill to help us speak in public? Everyone gets nervous to do this, it is not something that needs to be treated.

In regards to a question regarding what peace is and whether or not it is different to different groups of people and cultures, I think this is a prime example of how Americans definition of peace is so different from others. We consider these medical aspects to be a form of violence, where in reality they are personal choices. We point the finger at anyone other than ourselves in cases like this.