E-DRUG: Conference on Disease-mongering, Newcastle, 11-13 April
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SECOND ANNOUNCEMENT
INAUGURAL CONFERENCE ON DISEASE-MONGERING, NEWCASTLE APRIL 11 TO 13 2006
Do 43% of women have difficulty with sexual relationships that might
benefit from drug treatment? Should half of the men over 50 years be
treated for erectile dysfunction? Are many shy people really suffering from
'social anxiety disorder'? Are many human emotions like sadness and anger
really diagnosable psychiatric disorders that will respond to drugs? Do
three percent of children really need amphetamines for hyper-activity
disorder? Should we have whole body CT scans every few years for early
diagnosis of cancer and heart disease? Should male pattern baldness be
treated as a medical condition? Should prescription drugs be advertised
directly to the public?
These questions suggest that we are being asked to
conform to certain ideal notions of appearance and behaviour. Such a
suggestion is not new but historically it has usually been linked to some
Orwellian notion of power and control. Just as worrying is the possibility
that such standards will be set in future by the profit-hungry medical
products industry. Pharmaceutical companies and equipment manufacturers
have provided many important medical treatments and diagnostic tests; but
are they now busy turning everyone into patients? Or are they involved in
effective disease awareness and early detection programs that will benefit
the entire community? When does legitimate promotion of public health
become mongering of disease for profit, and what is the impact on the
healthcare budget?
These and other questions go to the heart of how we
prioritise and fund our healthcare. But are these questions being addressed
properly? David Henry (physician and clinical pharmacologist) and Ray
Moynihan (writer and journalist) from the University of Newcastle don't
think so.
These and many other questions will be addressed at the Inaugural
Conference on Disease-mongering (April 11 -13 2006, Royal Newcastle
Hospital, Newcastle, Australia). The Conference includes an international
line-up of leading thinkers in their fields, including David Healy, Iona
Health and Joe Collier (UK), Leone Tiefer, Steve Woloshin and Lisa Schwartz
(USA), Joel Lexchin and Barbara Mintzes (Canada) and a number of prominent
Australian speakers. A highlight of the meeting will be the launch of a
previously unrecognized but surprisingly common condition, Motivational
Deficiency Disorder (MoDeD). Professor Leth Argos from the University of
Newcastle will present data on the prevalence, social impact and treatment
of this exhausting disorder.
Conference web site: www.diseasemongering.org
Contact: David Henry
Tel +61419284883
Email: david.henry@newcastle.edu.au
Early bird registration closes February 24th 2006