Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Education And Debate

The making of a disease: female sexual dysfunction

BMJ 2003; 326 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.326.7379.45 (Published 04 January 2003) Cite this as: BMJ 2003;326:45

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An earlier example of use of invented disease

Thank you for your most important article. Looks as if the
pharmaceutical companies will stop at nothing. I recall a time, not too
long ago, when "obsessive-compulsive SPECTRUM disorder" was used to push
the off-label use of an SSRI. Although the "entity" may not have been
invented by a drug company (it was used by cognative behavioral
therapists), it was certainly incorporated into pharmaceutical ads. I
don't see it anymore. Perhaps, the ads cured the ailment.

I'd be interested in your take on this.

Competing interests:  
None declared

Competing interests: No competing interests

03 January 2003
richard j. brown
none
new york, ny 10025