Are sometimes prescribed in place of good bedside manner:
When sick people come into a doctor's office, part of what they are looking for is psychological wellness. They want to feel like somebody has listened to them and is doing something to treat their illness. Sometimes, that means they ask their doctor for antibiotics, even if antibiotics aren't the right thing to treat what they have.
Dike Drummond offers advice to doctors on how to deal with inappropriate requests for antibiotics.
The Dish 