Overselling hysteria: The role of the media and medical journals in promoting questionable risks-a case study of the testosterone controversy

Abdulmaged M Traish; Jay C Vance; Abraham Morgentaler

doi:10.15252/embr.201643642

Overselling hysteria: The role of the media and medical journals in promoting questionable risks-a case study of the testosterone controversy

EMBO Rep. 2017 Jan;18(1):11-17. doi: 10.15252/embr.201643642. Epub 2016 Dec 5.

Authors

Abdulmaged M Traish^{1

2}, Jay C Vance², Abraham Morgentaler³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biochemistry, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
² Department of Urology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
³ Men's Health Boston, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.

Abstract

There are numerous examples of when the media grossly exaggerated the risk of medical treatments to the detriment of public health and health care. What are the causes of such ‘medical hysteria’ and what could prevent it?

MeSH terms

Bioethical Issues
Biomedical Research / ethics*
Humans
Hysteria / psychology*
Journalism, Medical
Male
Mass Media / ethics*
Periodicals as Topic / ethics*
Risk
Testosterone / deficiency
Testosterone / therapeutic use*

Substances

Testosterone