medicalised

Medicalised refers to the process by which aspects of human experience and social life that were not previously considered medical conditions come to be defined and treated as such. This involves the application of medical frameworks, diagnostic categories, and therapeutic interventions to behaviors, emotions, or social issues. For instance, what might have once been understood as shyness or a difficult temperament could become diagnosed as social anxiety disorder or ADHD, respectively.

The medicalisation of everyday life can be driven by various factors, including scientific advancements that identify new biological or psychological correlates of certain experiences, the influence of pharmaceutical companies in promoting treatments, and shifts in societal norms and expectations. It can lead to increased access to care and relief for individuals experiencing genuine distress, but it also raises concerns. Critics argue that medicalisation can pathologize normal variations in human behavior, oversimplify complex social problems, and potentially lead to over-treatment or the unnecessary use of medication.

The concept of medicalisation is a subject of ongoing discussion within sociology, anthropology, and the history of medicine, as it highlights how medical knowledge and practice are shaped by social and cultural contexts, and how these frameworks, in turn, influence our understanding of ourselves and the world around us. The boundaries of what constitutes a medical condition are not fixed but are subject to historical and societal negotiation.