Antidepressant Direct-to-Consumer Advertising and Social Perception of the Prevalence of Depression: Application of the Availability Heuristic

Abstract

This study examined the effect of antidepressant direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) on perceived prevalence of depression. A survey of Midwestern residents showed that those with high recall for antidepressant DTCA tended to estimate the prevalence of depression higher than those with low ad recall. However, with a source-priming cue before their estimation, the significant association was eliminated. Results indicate that people use antidepressant DTCA as a basis for their judgment of the prevalence of depression in normal situations where the veracity of information is not highlighted.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Funding was provided by the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at Kansas State University. The author thanks Hyun Seung Jin and the anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments.