overpathologize

Overpathologize is the practice of labeling ordinary human experiences as medical or psychiatric pathologies more readily than warranted by evidence of distress or impairment. It refers to medicalization that expands the boundaries of what is considered a disorder, often extending diagnostic categories to experiences that may be developmentally normal, culturally normative, or situational.

While the idea is informal, the concept is discussed in debates about diagnostic criteria, medicalization, and overdiagnosis in mental health. It raises questions about when distress or variation should be addressed through medical treatment, psychotherapy, or social supports rather than labeling as disease.

Examples commonly cited include classifying normal grief after loss as major depressive disorder, treating transient stress after a life change as an anxiety disorder, or pathologizing normal shyness, temperament, or cultural practices as a mental disorder. Critics worry that such labeling can obscure context, individual resilience, and legitimate social or environmental contributors to distress.

Potential harms include stigma, unnecessary pharmacological or psychotherapeutic treatment, exposure to side effects, increased healthcare costs, and a narrowing of the range of acceptable human experiences. Drivers can include diagnostic inflation in manuals such as the DSM or ICD, pharmaceutical and insurance incentives, time-limited clinical encounters, and cultural expectations about happiness and productivity.

Proponents of cautious diagnostic practice emphasize clear impairment or distress, cultural competence, and shared decision-making. System-level approaches advocate avoiding over-medicalization by prioritizing psychosocial supports, validating patient experiences, and refining criteria to distinguish normal variation from clinical disorders.