Lääketieteellistäminen

Lääketieteellistäminen, known in English as medicalization, is a process where non-medical problems, experiences, or conditions become defined and treated as medical issues. This can involve expanding the scope of medical practice to include behaviors, conditions, or life stages that were previously considered normal or part of everyday life. For example, normal aging or certain emotional states might be reframed as medical conditions requiring intervention.

The phenomenon of medicalization can occur in several ways. It can be driven by the medical profession itself, through the development of new diagnostic categories or treatments. Pharmaceutical companies also play a role by promoting medications for a wider range of conditions. Social and cultural factors can also contribute, as societies may increasingly look to medicine for solutions to a variety of problems.

Medicalization can have both positive and negative consequences. On the positive side, it can lead to the identification and treatment of previously unrecognized or misunderstood conditions, improving health outcomes and reducing suffering. It can also legitimize certain experiences, providing access to medical care and support. However, medicalization can also lead to the over-prescription of drugs, the pathologizing of normal human experiences, and the creation of new patient populations, potentially increasing healthcare costs and causing iatrogenic harm. It raises questions about the boundaries of medicine and the definition of health and illness.