TY - JOUR T1 - Bad Medicine: Phone a friend JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 285 LP - 285 DO - 10.3399/bjgp18X696461 VL - 68 IS - 671 AU - Des Spence Y1 - 2018/06/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/68/671/285.abstract N2 - I don’t consider Robbie Williams a modern philosopher (although I appreciate others might), but one of his lyrics does resonate with me: ‘I’m not scared of dying, I just don’t want to.’ (‘Come Undone’, 2003, from the album Escapology). I believe that personality traits are hardwired — my fatalism is mingled with 1970s hedonism, and that is who I am.I’m not given to health anxiety and I consider the marginal benefits from screening worthless when offset against the false positives and anxiety they fuel. I ain’t having any screening, taking no statin, and will continue to enjoy a … ER -