In Ethan Watters’ essay “Mega-Marketing of Depression,” Watters describes the process GlaxoSmithKline, a drug company, uses to change the way Japan views mental health, especially depression. The tactics GlaxoSmithKline uses in the essay show how they use cultural imperialism to influence scientific ideas in Japan. Cultural imperialism plays a significant role in the exchange of scientific ideas between cultures. It is a driving force in the evolution of changing technologies and medicines. It promotes the growth of technologies, but it should not force one nation's ideals onto another. A country should pursue their own technological and medicinal advances at their pace. Nations may be influenced by another nation’s progress to seek their own …show more content…
The company assures the researchers it brings in, like Applebaum, that they want to "fight" depression, anxiety, and social phobia (527). It is almost their calling to bring light to these diseases, and they will use any means necessary. Applbaum says on this topic, "They seemed to believe their products were effective and they were baffled that anyone should question their value" (528). The way Applbaum describes this meeting with GlaxoSmithKline reveals some of their real intentions, making money. Applbaum says the company was "baffled" anyone would question their integrity. This is quite an exaggerated emotion. It seems like they were trying to hard to display good intentions and when were actually questioned, they were offended this exaggerated degree. They wanted to believe they were doing good and hid their real motives. They used "fighting depression" as a means to make money. If they were really in the market for the benefit of the Japanese people, they could have had a cleaner campaign. The only reason GlaxoSmithKline can say they are in the market for the sake of the Japanese people, is because their product has shown results. Pxil and other serotonin leveling drugs have worked in some cases, but Paxil is not the magic pill that can cure depression, GlaxoSmithKline is making only it seem like …show more content…
Paxil does not promote the Japanese scientific community to grow and expand on their own. Instead, the Japanese culture is diminished and changed for monetary gain. GlaxoSmithKline does not allow the Japanese market to grow on it's own and instead almost forces the Japanese market to accept their, and western, ideals. With the covering up of scientific results, bolstering of wrong data, and underhanded actions in marketing via the internet and bringing prominent figures, GlaxoSmithKline serious questionable actions. They could have helped the Japanese market to grow tremendously. Japanese scientists could have helped test new types of products to combat depression, had GlaxoSmithKline not covered up the results showing that Paxil did not work in some cases. GlaxoSmithKline could have worked together with the Japanese scientific community to produce a drug that could have been more efficient. With this, the Japanese people may have been more open to accepting Paxil because it would been recreated with the help of Japanese scientists. GlaxoSmithKline could have also marketed in a more honest way if they not marketed in a sneaky way. They could have capitalized on that there is currently no other drug that combats depression like Paxil. They also could have made it a point that they were working together with Japanese scientists to make Paxil
He proves this by explaining how a Nigerian man “might experience a peppery feeling in his head” (Smith 517) or how symptoms of depression in an American Indian project feelings of loneliness. Depending on the location of the country and the language used to describe distress, symptoms of depression vary from region to region. He described this as “explanatory models” that “created the culturally expected experience of the disease in the mind of the sufferer” (Watters 518). In other words, the cause of depression is different for every country and thus each person experiences and describes depression in a way that matches their culture and environment.
Cropper, Carol Marie. “A Cloud Over Antidepressants” Businessweek 3880 (2004): 112-113 Business Source Premeir. Web. 28 Jan. 2014
http://drkaplan.co.uk/2012/01/homeopathy/antidepressants-evidence-and-our-%E2%80%98brave-new-world%E2%80%99. Smith, Nicole. A.
Antidepressants are a prescription drug now used by people of all ages. They have become a part of society, therefore, taking antidepressants is not frowned upon. Antidepressants are used to make people feel “happier” and not to feel sadness. This is shown in the dystopian society in the book Brave New World written by Aldous Huxley in 1932. In that society the people use soma, a well-known drug, to make them feel no pain and are conditioned to think soma fixes everything. Helmholtz and Bernard two main characters, do not take it because they want to be able to see the world for what it is. They also do not want soma to change how they feel; they want to appreciate nature. In addition Lenina and Henry love taking soma because then they cannot feel any pain, they are just happy all the time. In our society, people think that antidepressants will make them feel no pain and that these medications will fix all of their problems. Antidepressants have a negative impact on society today as well as in the book Brave New World.
While seeking westernization of all parts of society and culture, Japanese brought back the “Western st...
Kleinman, A. 1980. Patients and Healers in the Context of Culture: An Exploration of the Borderland between Anthropology, Medicine, and Psychiatry. University of California Press.
Watkins, Tom. "Papers Indicate Firm Knew Possible Prozac Suicide Risk." CNN. Cable News Network, 3 Jan. 2005. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.
Saigusa, O. (2006). Japan's healthcare system and pharmaceutical industry. Journal of Generic Medicines , 4, 23–29.
Antidepressants should be taken off the market. Depression is simply a condition of the mind. Events that take place in ones life can bring upon a depressive episode. With the variety of people in the world, there comes a variety of ways in which people cope with things. Some people can cope with depression, when in turn, people that are emotionally unstable, cannot. With all of the antidepressants on the market today, people are becoming dependent on these drugs that virtually ?mess with their heads? rather than ?clear their minds?. In the past, people dealt with depression without these ?happy pills? and did just fine coping and recuperating. Everyone gets depressed at some point in his or her lives; it?s part of our human nature. These so-called ?wonder drugs? may help in some aspects of the depressed person, but overall Prozac and its chemical cousins are nothing but problem pills. Antidepressants should be taken off of the market.
Mukherjee, Siddhartha. "Post-Prozac Nation: The Science and History of Treating Depression." New York Times. 19 April 2012: 3-4. Web. 6 April. 2014.
The case under analysis, Eli Lilly & Company, will be covering the positives and negatives with regards to the business situation and strategy of Eli Lilly. One of the major pharmaceutical and health care companies in its industry, Lilly focused its efforts on the areas of "drug research, development, and marketed to the following areas: neuroscience, endocrinology, oncology, cardiovascular disease, and women's health." Having made a strong comeback in the 1990's due to its remarkably successful antidepressant Prozac, was now facing a potential loss in profits with its patent soon to expire. The problem was not only the soon to expire patent on Prozac, but the fact that Prozac accounted for as much as 30% of total revenue was the reality Eli Lilly now faced. (Pearce & Robinson, 34-1)
It is very common to hear people complaining about how fast the society changes nowadays. There are more and more people feel anxious and insecure about their life. And from the article “A Rising Cost of Modernity: Depression” by Daniel Goleman, it begins with this line “If the 20th century ushered in the Age of Anxiety, its exit is witnessing the dawn of the Age of Melancholy.” It clearly states the serious condition we are facing and suffering nowadays. There are a lot of articles and graphics have proven that the number of people who have been suffering from the depression is increasing significantly. Since there are so many people need medical treatments to help them recover from the depression, it’s easy to see people taking those “Antidepressant”
The imperial legacy of the United States, has a two fold effect, creating a problematic relation between culture and society. Since the twentieth century, a sense of dominant and subordinate cultures has surfaced. Provided its worldly influence in terms of political interactions, economic relations and cultural ideals, American culture has become a dominant force throughout the globe. Despite the American culture being new and composed of a...
An examination of Japanese culture, and where it stands on Kluckholn and Strodbeck’s Value Orientation, Hall’s cultural dimensions, and what America needs to know in order to communicate properly with Japan.
Globalization is becoming one of the most controversial topics in today’s world. We see people arguing over the loss of a nation’s cultural identity, the terror of westernization, and the reign of cultural imperialism. Through topics such as these we explore the possibilities or the existence of hybridization of cultures and values, and what some feel is the exploitation of their heritage. One important aspect that is not explored is that such influences can also be more than just a burden and an overstepping of bounds. These factors can create an educational environment as well as a reaffirmation of one’s own culture.