ARE WE ORDERING TOO MANY TESTS?
This was the argument made in a recent Wall Street Journal article, adapted from a newly published book by a British neurologist. The author suggested that the growing number of diagnoses for everything from autism to ADHD (and many other conditions) may be doing more harm than good (1). In light of the renewed debate about rising autism rates—especially following the appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)—this question has gained even more relevance.
The idea that symptoms can be psychosomatic, rather than signs of a physical disease—or simply reflect the extremes of a normal range—has, of course, been known since before Freud. But it has become increasingly clear that the situation has worsened in recent years due to internet-driven self-diagnosis and reliance on non-medical sources. This raises a troubling question: are we all slowly becoming hypochondriacs, fueled by the excessive testing we now undergo?
Reference
1. O’Sullivan S. The Wall Street journal., March 17, 2025. https://www.wsj.com/health/healthcare/we-are-turning-too-many-people-into-medical-patients-ad46ea33 (in print March 22-23, 2025)