Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34600540›Full record

ArticlePhilosophy, ethics, and humanities in medicine : PEHM2021

The pharmaceuticalisation of life? A fictional case report of insomnia with a thought experiment.

Emmanuel Bäckryd

Abstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Philosophy, ethics, and humanities in medicine : PEHM, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author.

Emmanuel BäckrydPain and Rehabilitation Centre, and Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. emmanuel.backryd@regionostergotland.se.ORCID 0000-0003-4420-418X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe safety of sleeping pills has increased dramatically during the last 100 years, from barbiturates to bensodiazepines to modern day so-called Z-drugs.

methodsThe circumstances of prescribing sleeping pills in the early 20

resultsIn his 1937 novel Sömnlös (Swedish for sleepless) Vilhelm Moberg portrayed existential and relational distress in relation to insomnia. In a thought experiment, past progresses in sleeping pills safety are projected into the future. Thereby, it is claimed that important issues in the area of philosophy of medicine come to the fore. This leads to a theoretical discussion about broader questions concerning the role of the physician, the goals of medicine (as described by Lennart Nordenfelt), the concept of pharmaceuticalisation (as described notably by sociologist of sleep Simon J. Williams and co-workers), and health enhancement (c.f. Carl Elliott and the alleged wish to be better than well).

conclusionInsomnia is a prism through which important philosophical and sociological questions related to the practice of medicine can be asked.

Indexed as

PhysiciansSleep Initiation and Maintenance DisordersHumansHypnotics and SedativesSleepHypnotics and SedativesHypnoticsMedicalisationMobergPharmaceuticalisationSleepSleeplessness

Identifiers

PMID34600540
PMCPMC8487481

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.