Basic Trope: A doctor or a nurse-practitioner writes a prescription for a non-drug item.
- Straight: Bob goes to see Dr. Alice because of a stomach ache. Dr. Alice writes him a prescription for a relaxing vacation, saying the cause of the stomach ache is stress.
- Exaggerated: Dr. Alice writes Bob a prescription for crutches, even though he came in for a stomach ache.
- Downplayed:
- Dr. Alice writes Bob a prescription for a medical device of some sort that she thinks will help him.
- Dr. Alice refers Bob to a specialist, or writes him a prescription for an additional test.
- Bob has a virus, and the only thing that will cure it is to let it run its course, so Alice writes him a "prescription" for bed rest, crackers, and ginger ale.
- Dr. Alice recommends a medication for Bob that's available over-the-counter.
- Justified:
- Dr. Alice wants Bob to try non-drug therapies instead of or in addition to conventional medications.
- The problem really is caused by stress.
- Dr. Alice has identified the issue as being dexter superior rectus abdominalnote (which layman tend to misdiagnose as a stomach ache due to the proximity of the two kinds of pain), the crutches are to relieve the muscle so that it can heal.
- Bob needs some kind of medical device, but in order for his insurance (or if he lives in a country with socialized medicine, the government) to pay for it, he needs to show proof of prescription.
- Additional testing is needed, or Bob needs to see a specialist.
- Dr. Alice knows that Bob is Playing Sick (or at least that his problem is psychosomatic), so she writes him a "prescription".
- Dr. Alice is not a conventional doctor, but a witch, or even just someone who practices alternative medicine.
- Inverted:
- Bob goes to see Dr. Alice for a stomach ache. Dr. Alice writes him a prescription for a psychiatric medication.
- Bob goes to Dr. Alice for demon possession. She prescribes medication.
- Subverted: After his vacation, the stomach ache has not gone away, so Dr. Alice writes him a prescription for a medication.
- Double Subverted: Except it's an herbal supplement to "support digestive health," not an actual FDA/EMA-approved medication.
- Parodied: Dr. Alice writes Bob a prescription for Eye of Newt.
- Zig Zagged: Sometimes, Dr. Alice writes prescriptions for drugs, sometimes she writes prescriptions for other things.
- Averted:
- Bob does not visit a doctor in-story.
- There are no doctors in this setting.
- Enforced: ???
- Lampshaded: "I'm going to write you a prescription for a relaxing vacation."
- Invoked: Bob comes in with a stomach ache that has no obvious cause.
- Exploited: Dr. Alice uses this as a way to avoid writing antibiotic prescriptions for patients who come in with viral infections (or otherwise don't need them).
- Defied: Dr. Alice writes Bob a prescription for an actual drug.
- Discussed: ???
- Conversed: ???
- Deconstructed: A week into Bob's vacation, the pain from his stomach worsened so much that he succumbed to it. Autopsy reports say that he died from inflammatory bowel disease. Dr. Alice was later found responsible for not following protocol and was fired.
Back to Non-Standard Prescription
