"Disease mongering"

One interesting role for a health information specialist is that of combating "disease mongering". "Disease mongering" is a pharmaceutical industry backed marketing strategy that exploits people’s primal fear of death, decay and disease through “designed” information and education directed at consumers and health care providers (Moynihan & Cassels, 2005). Moynihan and Henry define disease mongering as “…the selling of sickness that widens the boundaries of illness and grows the markets for those who sell and deliver treatments” (2006, p.1).

Disease mongering could be divided into three different categories (Moynihan & Cassels, 2005). The first involves the transformation of some of life’s normal processes into disease states. Conditions formally thought to be a natural part of aging now become disorders necessitating medication. Pharmaceutical companies design drugs which they claim will increase the enjoyment of life. The second category of disease mongering involves the re-classification of mild symptoms to become serious diseases or the creation of new medical diseases. Examples include allergic rhinitis, adult attention deficit disorder, restless legs syndrome, social anxiety disorder and pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder.The third category of disease mongering is the promotion of risk factors to disease states. Examples include osteoporosis, high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

The negative effects of disease mongering are many and relate to the health and the economy of both individuals and society as a whole. Patients are exposed to unnecessary testing and treatment which may in itself lead to ill effects or even death. The health care system is subject to increased costs for tests, diagnoses and treatments of limited or no value.

Health information specialists can fill the gap in the health care system which has allowed disease mongering to grow, by educating physicians, other health care providers, teachers and consumers about disease mongering and providing balanced information.

Moynihan, R., & Cassels, A. (2005). Selling sickness: How the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies are turning us all into patients. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: Greystone Books.
Moynihan, R., & Henry, D. (2006). The fight against disease mongering: Generating knowledge for action. PLoS Med 2006 3(4):e191. Retrieved November 12, 2007, from http://medicine.plosjournals.org/archive/1549-1676/3/4/pdf/10.1371_journal.pmed.0030191-S.pdf