According to pbs.org, "The United States spends almost $1,000 per person per year on pharmaceuticals. That’s around 40 percent more than the next highest spender, Canada." Perhaps all this pharmaceutical usage is necessary for Americans because Americans are unhealthier than other countries, or the cost of prescription drugs is substantially higher than other countries, or a combination of the two. However, there is another reason, a significant reason, why Americans consume so many prescription drugs and that comes down to national advertising on print, on mobile, and on television.
The advertising for prescription drugs is not something that has always been part of the American experience, but instead, was something that developed over time, with a few trial balloons here and there, and then in 1997, the FDA revised its rules on such advertising, by essentially relaxing their rules considerably, and providing guidelines for pharmaceutical companies in regards to providing consumers with appropriate: "brief summary," "prescribing information," "major statement," and "adequate provision" information, all of this depending upon what advertising medium was utilized. This laissez-faire approach changed the entire dynamic of pharmaceutical companies from rather than exclusively advertising directly to medical doctors for particular prescription pharmaceuticals, to instead now also advertising directly to the consumer.
The amount of money spent in 2015 for such pharmaceutical advertising was estimated to "…be hitting $5.2 billion" as stated by statnews.com .This staggering amount of money spent on advertising pharmaceutical drugs that can only legally be issued to patients by a licensed physician, is proof positive, that pharmaceutical drug manufacturers understand well the power of these advertisements to mold consumers behavior in a manner that these consumers will believe that they need certain prescriptions prescribed for perceived conditions that they feel are occurring to them, such as anxiety, cholesterol concerns, antacid, antipsychotic, and so forth, almost without end.
In general, medical doctors are busy people, with busy schedules, and while desiring to spend time with patients, often find that their time schedule precludes being able to spend as much time as they might ideally desire with their patients. In addition, Americans seemed programmed to believe that for every problem, no matter how complex or obscure, there is a readymade solution, perhaps in the form of a little pill, which will instantly alleviate the problem. The fact of the matter is that isn't true, but when doctors are faced with patients that have diagnosed themselves and come up with the ideal solution of a prescription drug that will fix the problem, to which, there often is some validity to their claims, many doctors are accommodating to such concerns. Basically, the game has changed from one in which the patient explains their symptoms, tests are run, and a doctor makes an informed decision that appears best for that particular patient, to one in which the patient often has a preconceived idea of what they need and just want to cut to the chase already. Additionally, the patient has an often unrealistic belief, via advertising, that a certain prescribed drug, will work specific magic for them, which is usually both unrealistic and untrue, but all of these things combined, put pressure upon a time-sensitive physician to take the easy road.
The bottom line, is that when drugs that can only be prescribed by a qualified physician are legally advertised on television or other assorted media to consumers, much more of that drug will be prescribed because the credulous consumer allows fear or anxiety or the sweet song of such advertising to convince them of that need. The sick thing is that it is the legalized and sanctioned drug dealing to the public as a whole that now makes your broke-down corner illicit drug dealer look like a pathetic hack and a piker.