I had no idea this was a thing until an American fella I met while travelling mentioned it out of the blue.
I asked ‘What? You’re telling me you have adverts on the television that say shit like “Feeling blue? Perhaps fluoxetine is for you!”’ and he responded with a nonchalant ‘Yes’. I couldn’t believe it.
I don’t know whether it’s common in other Western countries, but it sounds both completely alien and deeply unethical to me.
There’s nothing wrong with stating a preference for a particular medical therapy, but that preference should be based on an understanding you have come to using impartial sources, and only after a diagnosis.
Do these adverts still exist? And what do Americans think about them?