Why So Many People Overuse Antibiotics

Profit and personal relationships fuel a dangerous rise in antibiotic overuse

Parents will often ask their children's doctor to prescribe antibiotics without realizing these drugs are often unnecessary and harmful. YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV/Shutterstock

A mistaken belief that antibiotics are beneficial for a broad array of conditions leads to their overuse, researchers report.

The new study also finds that overuse occurs because doctors are willing to prescribe them when patients ask for medications.