title: Recognizing misleading pharmaceutical marketing online.
abstract: In light of decision-making psychology, this article details how drug marketing operates across established and novel web domains and identifies some common misleading trends and influences on prescribing and patient-initiated medication requests. The Internet has allowed pharmaceutical marketing to become more salient than ever before. Although the Internet's growth has improved the dissemination of pharmaceutical information, it has also led to the increased influence of misleading pharmaceutical marketing. Such mismarketing is of concern, especially in psychiatry, since psychotropics generate considerable revenue for drug companies. In a climate of resource-limited drug regulation and time-strapped physicians, we recommend improving both independent monitoring and consumer awareness of Internet-enabled, potentially misleading, pharmaceutical marketing influences.
authors.affiliation: Mr. De Frietas is a Research Candidate in Experimental Psychology, Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, Oxford, UK. Dr. Falls is a member of the Program in Psychiatry and the Law and a Clinical Fellow in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA. Dr. Haque is a member of the Program in Psychiatry and the Law, Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Cambridge, MA, and a Resident, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI. Dr. Bursztajn is Associate Clinical Professor and Co-Founder, Program in Psychiatry and the Law Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Cambridge, MA.
authors.forename: Julian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: De Freitas
authors.affiliation: Mr. De Frietas is a Research Candidate in Experimental Psychology, Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, Oxford, UK. Dr. Falls is a member of the Program in Psychiatry and the Law and a Clinical Fellow in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA. Dr. Haque is a member of the Program in Psychiatry and the Law, Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Cambridge, MA, and a Resident, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI. Dr. Bursztajn is Associate Clinical Professor and Co-Founder, Program in Psychiatry and the Law Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Cambridge, MA.
authors.forename: Brian A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Falls
authors.affiliation: Mr. De Frietas is a Research Candidate in Experimental Psychology, Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, Oxford, UK. Dr. Falls is a member of the Program in Psychiatry and the Law and a Clinical Fellow in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA. Dr. Haque is a member of the Program in Psychiatry and the Law, Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Cambridge, MA, and a Resident, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI. Dr. Bursztajn is Associate Clinical Professor and Co-Founder, Program in Psychiatry and the Law Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Cambridge, MA.
authors.forename: Omar S
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Haque
authors.affiliation: Mr. De Frietas is a Research Candidate in Experimental Psychology, Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford University, Oxford, UK. Dr. Falls is a member of the Program in Psychiatry and the Law and a Clinical Fellow in Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA. Dr. Haque is a member of the Program in Psychiatry and the Law, Harvard Medical School, Department of Psychiatry at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Cambridge, MA, and a Resident, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Brown University, Providence, RI. Dr. Bursztajn is Associate Clinical Professor and Co-Founder, Program in Psychiatry and the Law Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and the Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Cambridge, MA. harold_bursztajn@hms.harvard.edu.
authors.forename: Harold J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Bursztajn
mesh_terms: D016265:Conflict of Interest; D054626:Consumer Health Information; D008192:Deception; D004345:Drug Industry / Q000941:ethics*; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D040541:Marketing / Q000941:ethics*; D057386:Search Engine; D014481:United States