Medicalization
Medicalization
Medicalization is that process where the human problem of condition is defined and then treated as medical conditions, thus becoming the subject of medical diagnosis, study, treatment, or prevention. This is the process through which social issues can be redefined as a medical problem. This increases the jurisdiction of medicine as it moves non medical problems into the medical realm (Larkin, M 2011). From the understanding of medicalization, it expands the boundaries of the medical model where all symptoms are considered to have been caused by a pathogen that is treatable through medication.
Medicalization is characterized by 3 key sub processes. They include the use of medical language to describe a problem, adoption of a medical framework in order to understand the problem, and using medical intervention for treating the problem (Larkin, M 2011). There are plenty social problems that have been medicalized. Activities that are seen as socially defiant or immoral are defined as symptoms of illness or diseases like homosexuality, alcoholism, and drug addiction. With medicalization, there are some normal life experiences that are being medicalized like aging, menopause, pregnancy, and birth.
Negative aspects of Medicalization
The term Medicalization has been used in a negative sense to describe what used to be seen as unnecessary instances of the medical intervention to the disadvantage of some group in society. The negative effect of Medicalization is that it acts to individualize a problem. When problem is individualized factors such as occupational stress, socioeconomic inequalities, family and cultural environments are obscured when they might be a key source of the problem. A sense of alienation and frustration might occur to a person if the individual is not well and their experience if not considered being a medical condition (Poitras G 2009). Conditions that are poorly understood tend to stigmatize the people experiencing them. In case of illnesses that are poorly understood, medicalization may serve to legitimize the suffering of the individual. Labeling of issues in medicalization has a negative effect.
Medicalization usually results in harmful and unnecessary labeling as abnormal or diseased. There are times that labeling an individual as having a disease can cause a denial of employment, mortgage, or insurance. Medicalization increases the health care budget (Poitras G 2009). It causes an increase in the use of medical treatments and services. It also increases the health care spending, thus putting pressure to the government health funding. This may cause pressure to the government budget on funding elsewhere including social sectors like the education sector. Medicalization tends to lead to unnecessary intervention especially in areas with mild disease severity.
Positive aspects
The positive aspect of medicalization is labeling of issues. Diagnosing a problem as a medical in nature that is subject to medical intervention might reduce frustration and uncertainty for the doctor and the patient (Conrad, M 2009). Medicalization sometimes tends to de stigmatize some conditions by increasing the awareness of the condition and encouraging the person suffering from the condition to seek assistance or advice for their problem (Conrad, P 2007). Medicalization encourages domination of health care experts as treatment decisions need to be implemented and made by professionals. Medicalization is a force for the positive, as it makes people be aware of excellent and wellness health beyond treatment and diagnosis. The positive aspect of Medicalization to people is a sense of relief, validation, and support.
Reference
Conrad, M (2009). The medication of life FrancoAngeli
Conrad, P (2007). The medicalization of society John Hopkins University Press
Larkin, M (2011). Social aspects of heath, Illness and healthcare McGraw Hill international
Poitras G (2009). Business ethics, medical ethics, and economic medicalization International journal of business governance and ethics 4 (4)
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