History Main / ManufacturingVictims

* Dr. Fontaine in ''LANoire'', who [[spoiler:turns artists and shell-shocked Marine veterans into addicts and serial killers.]]
* Dr. Steinman in ''BioShock1'' uses ADAM, a highly-addictive genetic modifier, to perform his plastic surgery. Combined with his MadArtist tendencies (he's a plastic surgeon who worships Picasso), his patients tend to need ''more'' plastic surgery to undo the first round. And he's the only one in Rapture.

* ''PennAndTellerBullshit'' have an episode on 12-steppers, where they argue that the method is nothing more than brainwashing and religious indoctrination. It doesn't help at all against alcoholism, and at worst it gets people more hooked on the alcohol itself as well as getting hooked on the AA movement.

* ''WesternAnimation/SouthPark'' had an episode where Stan's Dad drank too much as was forced into the AA movement. He quickly got hooked on it, thus making his life miserable AND making his alcohol problem worse. It's implied that the other members of the support-group had equally dysfunctional relationships to the whole thing.

* ''SouthPark'' had an episode where Stan's Dad drank too much as was forced into the AA movement. He quickly got hooked on it, thus making his life miserable AND making his alcohol problem worse. It's implied that the other members of the support-group had equally dysfunctional relationships to the whole thing.

[[AC:RealLife]]
* The real life case of ''Sybil'' has been revealed to very likely be a particularly horrific case of this. The woman may have been pressured and seduced into faking or exaggerating her symptoms, creating a cash cow for the therapist and decades of therapy, drugs, and misery for the poor woman.

* The real life case of ''Sybil'' has been revealed to very likely be a particularly horrific case of this. The woman may have been pressured and seduced into faking or exaggerating her symptoms, creating a cash cow for the therapist and decades of therapy, drugs, and misery for poor woman.

* The real life case of ''Sybil'' has been revealed to very likely be a particularly horrific case of this. The woman may have been pressured and seduced into faking or exaggerating her symptoms, creating a cash cow for the therapist and decaded of therapy, drugs, and misery for poor woman.

This trope is about getting people hooked on therapy, including similar activities such as self-help support-groups. When needed therapy is withheld in order to keep people hooked on medication that only suppress the symptoms rather than solving the actual problem, it's WithholdingTheCure. Contrast PoisonAndCureGambit, where people get hooked on medication rather than therapy.

According to the book ''[[http://www.amazon.com/Manufacturing-Victims-Psychology-Industry-People/dp/1552070328/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287874489&sr=8-1 Manufacturing Victims]]'', the therapy industry operates under the same market economy as any other business: If the customer doesn't come back, it means you have failed. Thus, the ideal therapy is one that makes the patient dependent on the therapist rather then ready to move on with her life.

Please note that those who make a living ManufacturingVictims are not necessarily malicious: They keep telling themselves that their method is popular because it works, when the grim reality is that it's popular because it gets people hooked on it.

----------------

!!!Examples:

* ZinniaJones: The episode [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ScW-djjpzGY I am not a symptom]].

* ''SouthPark'' had an episode where Stan's Dad drank too much as was forced into the AA movement. He quickly got hooked on it, thus making his life miserable AND making his alcohol problem worse. It's implied that the other members of the [[strike:cult]] support-group had equally dysfunctional relationships to the whole thing.
* ''DrawnTogether'' (season 3, episode 13) has Foxy going into therapy. The psychiatrist implants a false memory of childhood sexual abuse, and this false memory takes over her life. Ruining her life, making her end up in jail, and make her murder a lot of innocent people - in that order.
** to be fair though... the "specalist" was just another housemate.

* The books by KevinTrudeau [[ConspiracyTheorist paints the entire pharmaceutical industry this way]]. He's also been accused of [[AllNaturalSnakeOil doing this himself]].

** This reminds me of KevinTrudeau, who [[ConspiracyTheorist paints the entire pharmaceutical industry this way]]. He's also been accused of [[AllNaturalSnakeOil doing this himself]]. I suggest reading his books and [[YourMileageMayVary deciding for yourself]].

As a trope, this comes to play in the form of therapists who encourage patients to get stuck in their problems, or even get worse, rather then to move on and improve their lives.

This trope is about getting people hooked on therapy, including similar activities such as self-help support-groups. When needed therapy is withheld in order to keep people hooked on medication that only suppress the symptoms rather then solving the actual problem, it's WithholdingTheCure. Contrast PoisonAndCureGambit, where people get hooked on medication rather then therapy.

No real life examples, please. However, media examples of how different real life therapies have been portrayed are of course welcome.

* ''PennAndTellerBullshit'' have an episode on 12-steppers, where they argue that the method is nothing more than brainwhashing and religious indoctrination. It doesn't help at all against alcoholism, at worst it gets people more hooked on the alcohol itself as well as getting hooked on the AA movement.

* Averted in DykesToWatchOutFor: As Mo turns into a therapy junkie as a way of avoiding dealing with her life, her therapist actually throws her out.

* In the DavidCronenberg flim ''TheBrood,'' Raglan manages to get at least one patient addicted to his treatments.

* LawAndOrderSVU has played this card a few times.
* PennAndTellerBullshit have an episode on 12-steppers, where they argue that the method is nothing more than brainwhashing and religious indoctrination. It doesn't help at all against alcoholism, at worst it gets people more hooked on the alcohol itself as well as getting hooked on the AA movement.

* SouthPark had an episode where Stan's Dad drank too much as was forced into the AA movement. He quickly got hooked on it, thus making his life miserable AND making his alcohol problem worse. It's implied that the other members of the [[strike:cult]] support-group had equally dysfunctional relationships to the whole thing.
* DrawnTogether (season 3, episode 13) has Foxy going into therapy. The psychiatrist implants a false memory of childhood sexual abuse, and this false memory takes over her life. Ruining her life, making her end up in jail, and make her murder a lit of innocent people - in that order.

According to [[http://www.amazon.com/Manufacturing-Victims-Psychology-Industry-People/dp/1552070328/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287874489&sr=8-1 the book]] Manufacturing Victims, the therapy industry operates under the same market economy as any other business: If the customer doesn't come back, it means you have failed. Thus, the ideal therapy is one that makes the patient dependent on the therapist rather then ready to move on with her life.

This trope is about getting people hooked on therapy, including similar activities such as self-help support-groups. When needed therapy is withheld in order to keep people hooked on medication that only suppress the symptomps rather then solving the actual problem, it's WithholdingTheCure. Contrast PoisonAndCureGambit, where people get hooked on medication rather then therapy.

According to [[http://www.amazon.com/Manufacturing-Victims-Psychology-Industry-People/dp/1552070328/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1287874489&sr=8-1 the book]] Manufacturing Victims, the therapy industry operates under the same market economy as any other business: If the customer don't come back, it means you have failed. Thus, the ideal therapy is one that makes the patient dependent on the therapist rather then ready to move on with her life.

* PennAndTellerBullshit have an episode on 12-steppers, where they argue that the method is nothing more then brainwhashing and religious indoctrination. It doesn't help at all against alcoholism, at worst it gets people more hooked on the alcohol itself as well as getting hooked on the AA movement.