PILL FOR EVERY ILL MINDSET LEADS TO PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE

Regarding the Nov. 13 article "Prescription drug misuse, diversion a
serious problem" by Dr. Janna Pathi: Prescription drug abuse is a serious
problem, but why? Dr. Pathi tries to point the blame toward the patient,
but is the patient at fault?

That patient by the time he or she has reached 18 years of age has seen
20,000 hours of TV drug commercials telling him or her how great they are
or how great they make you feel. Drug companies spend $14 million per day
convincing Americans that they need the new "miracle" drug of the month.
Patients are then told by their doctors that they "need" the drug and are
quickly written a prescription. From birth until death the patient is told
"don't worry about your diet, lack of exercise, lack of sleep, stress etc.
We have a pill that will fix you."

As a last resort certain prescription drugs are needed in acute life
threatening situations, but in the HMO medical system they have become
first resort.

Parents wonder why their teen-ager is on illegal drugs. The answer is
simple. We have taught them at an early age that any negative feeling,
ailment, or emotion can be fixed with drugs. If mom is on Prozac, dad is on
Paxil and little brother is on Ritalin why can't Johnny smoke a little pot
or worse.

I realize my opinion may ruffle feathers of some in the medical and
pharmaceutical community but so be it. The "War on Drugs" will be a failure
and a farce as long as Americans blindly follow the drug companies "pill
for every ill, potion for every emotion" mentality that pervades
advertising, TV and the doctors office.

Dr. Sean Simone, Owensboro