How Is Medicalisation Socially Constructed

There are a lot of different definitions of health and ill health all of which are socially constructed; meaning that social issues usually influence a new theory or alter an old definition of health. In this section I will be analysing different definitions of health and ill health.

Illich (1990) even went as to say that themedical proffesion (including pharmaceutical companies and medical equipment suppliers) have a vested interest in illness so they create illnesses which have to be treated by doctors and drugs etc. this means conditions that used to be seen as natural, such as dying or unhappiness have now undergone a social iatrogenesis (doctor caused illness) whereby people cannot handle their own health anymore. postmodernists dislike this use of medical discourse because one theory has more prestige that it should be considered the truth.

Furthermore, in this book, Frank argues that the modernist perception of disease is a structure of "colonization," which also means that the sick individual surrender his or her body, and the narrative of his or her life to biomedical skill. In a post-modern conception, the sick individuals will find the defense and strength to tell their own story, regain the expert and energy to recount his or her own story. It takes one to create a new lifestyle narrative from the

In some way, public health is seen as a modern philosophical and ideological perspective based on ‘equity’ and aimed to determine inequitable in society. It seen as a ‘science’ and ‘art’ in the sense that it deals with the cause of disease, treatment of illness as well as it involves laboratory experiments, intervention and

Medical knowledge is a social construction where privileged individuals get the best medical advice (Nettleton, 2013, p. 17). An example is how psychiatrists socially construct a mental illness since they are one of the most powerful individuals in the medical field (Nettleton, 2013, p.16). They have the power to deem someone as unfit (Nettleton, 2013, p. 16). Certain medical technologies that evolved over time due to advances in society helped with the social construction of medical knowledge (Nettleton, 2013, p.22).

Medicalization is defined as the process by which nonmedical problems become defined and treated as medical problems, usually in the terms of illnesses and disorders. Medicalization consists of using medical terms to define, understand and treat a problem. There are three levels of medicalization: fully medicalized, partially medicalized, and minimally medicalized. Childbirth and death are two examples of a fully medicalized condition. Menopause and drug addiction are examples of problems that are partially medicalized. Domestic abuse and sexual addiction are examples of conditions that are minimally medicalized (Conrad, 1992). However, it is unclear of what exactly determines what level of medicalization a condition falls under. The process of medicalization is very broad and not very consistent from case to case. There are some instances where medical professionals are involved in a condition becoming medicalized, while there are other times where there are no medical professionals involved in the process whatsoever. It was not until the 1970’s that the social issue of medicalization began being debated. It was during this decade where social problems like hyperactivity in children, child abuse and alcoholism all were becoming medicalized (Conrad, 1992). The biggest controversy over this was that many believed that nonmedical issues were inappropriately becoming medicalized. Ever since then, more and

This essay will focus on the biomedical and social model of health. It will be critically discussing both models using supporting theories and highlighting the limitations of each. This essay will also discuss and analyse how both models relate to lay perspectives on health and illness.

The public plays a major role in the social phenomenon of medicalization, as noted in Busfield (2010), consumer -oriented societies are more willing to experience any problem they have can be ameliorated, that pain or suffering need not be tolerated, and are seeking medical help and a prescription, however, they do not always follow the intervention recommended. Medical doctors, play critical role as gatekeepers. In this manner, they prescribe over-the-counter prescriptions; officially Doctors identify whether a person is ill and whether a

Overtime the understanding of human society has been seen and described in many different perspectives. With new concepts and point of views backed by research and study, sociology continues to be changed and adjusted as we learn more about humanity every day. But the interesting thing is, that the way sociology changes, is similar to the way many things in life change over time as well. For example, in this paper we will look at the medicalization of society through its three main perspectives, and see that they work hand in hand. The medicalization of society is constantly changing due to ever-growing technology and discoveries. We continue to learn more and more each day about both sociology and medicalization which is why it is easy for us to put them both into the same perspective together. The medicalization of society can be explained through the three main sociological perspectives allowing us to better understand and analysis each concept for its own different meaning.

“Don’t treat the disease, treat the patient” [9]. The concept of health has seemed to become complex in definition over the centuries as science improves. “Health is a complete state of physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity.”-World Health Definition of Health (1948) [9]

Medical system in the world have defined Health in their own ways since time immemorial. Winslow (1920) defines public health as “ The science and art of preventing disease , prolonging life and promoting physical and mental efficiency through organised community effort for the sanitation of the environment , the control of communicable infections , the education of the individual in personal hygiene , the organisation medical and nursing services for the early diagnosis and preventive treatment of disease ”.

You might well think and ask, illness are concerned only with the physical condition of your body, why could one’s illness have anything to do with the society? However, one’s health issue can affect the society in different ways, for example, alcohol abuse and obesity that decrease the morale.

In the world that we live in today, many people would find it difficult to imagine living in a world where medicine and treatment are not readily available. The replacement of religious explanations to medical and scientific explanations has become a means of social control. If a person is in pain, they can easily set up an appointment with a doctor and receive some sort of medical diagnosis. However, there are certain instances where a problem has not been medicalized, or recognized as a medical problem, and their issue will be dismissed completely. The movie One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest delves into the idea of medicalization and how it can be used for the good, or for the bad, in terms of the “sick role.” Medicalization in the

The treatment of physical and mental problems has undergone a rapid change in the past few decades. An increasing number of bodily and behavioural symptoms now have a recognised medical diagnosis and corresponding treatment. Sociologists have attributed these changes to the process of medicalization, wherein “non-medical problems come to be defined and treated as if they were medical issues” (McLennan, McManus & Spoonley 2009: 271). Medicalization is an ongoing, gradual process which occurs through the social construction of new diseases by groups such as health professionals (Conrad 2007: 4). It can be argued that medicalization is an active and passive process by which diseases are constructed in an attempt to find treatments for patients; and that diseases can be ‘socially’ constructed as well as ‘corporately’ constructed by companies to create a profitable market of consumers. At the micro level of society, medicalization in the Western world has been influenced by liberal notions of individualization which has extended to some parts of the health sector. At the macro level, medicalization has been buoyed by the process of the professionalization, expansion of state monopoly over the health profession and religious and political social movements. Although some academics argue that the medicalization of society is less significant than the process of “de-medicalization”, there is clear evidence that the process of medicalization is intensifying and outstripping the rate

While social scientists have always been concerned with social change, there has been a rise in sociological interest in areas of health and medicine due to increasing concern for their widespread impact on society as a whole. One point central to this discussion is how it is that standards of what constitute healthy bodies, behaviors, and lifestyles are determined, and how these standards come to be accepted and subsequently enforced in various ways. This process of defining and imposing standards of health is a particularly important topic to examine, as medicine and standards of health are often perceived as being objective or detached from social considerations, when they can instead be inextricably linked to a range of social