Women appear in a disproportionate number of drug ads, which themselves appear disproportionately in women's magazines. While women are diagnosed with depression and other mental illnesses two to three times as often as men, scholars have documented companies' attempts to expand those imbalances in order to increase the markets for new drugs. Dr. Jonathan M. Metzl reviews pharmaceutical sales pitches past and present and asks consumers if they're really getting good drugs or just slick ads? Get the full scoop in the Fall 2003 issue.

Depression: a women's disorder? Illustration by Karine Daisay