Medicalization case essay

In 1970s, medicalization appear through the social scientific literature, medicalization become more common. Medicalization describes a process by which non-medical conditions become defined and treated as medical problems, these problem are known as illness and disorders.

For instance, alcoholism, drug addiction, hyperactive children, suicide, obesity, mental retardation, crime, violence, child abuse, learning problems, births, aging, menopause and many social deviances are all brought under the umbrella of medicalization. Medicine is all pervasive in our daily life.

Marxists such as Vicente Navarro et.al. (1980) linked medicalization to an oppressive capitalist society. They argued that medicine makes people see health as an individual problem rather than looking at disease as a result of social inequality and poverty.

Click here for sample essays written by our professional writers. Medicalisation is defined as a process by which non-medical problems become defined and treated as medical problems usually in terms of illnesses or disorders.