Sociological Criticism Of Medicalization

While sociologists have always been concerned with social change, the issue of medicalization has received particular attention as a result of its wide impact on society as a whole. This process of defining previously non-medical conditions or normal life processes as medical problems has been subject to much analysis and commentary. Namely, medicalization has been criticized by sociologists as many consider it to be a tool of social control, as well as a process that can both exacerbate existing inequalities and lead to new forms of discrimination. Those involved in medicalization have also been accused of pathologizing various conditions for profit rather than focusing on the well-being of the public. As a result of the pervasive influence …show more content…
This is considered particularly problematic as medicalization relies heavily on the ability to create and change definitions of people’s characteristics, conditions, and behaviors, and authorities who do so may gain the power to exert great social control as a result (Conrad, 1992, p. 216). It is through this power to define that medicalization may exert control over people, as definitions of what is normal, deviant, medical, or non-medical can be used to categorize populations, set expectations for behavior, influence treatment, and further legitimize medical …show more content…
One prominent example is the emergence of disorders such as ADD and ADHD, as the medicalization of the associated symptoms, their definition as a disorder, and subsequent treatments have often been used in social control. According to Malacrida’s study on the medicalization of these conditions, both teachers and educators are often involved in the diagnosis and treatment of ADD and ADHD, and that teachers are “likely to push children to an assessment” for behavioral problems (2004, p. 76). This social and institutional pressure was exerted formally through parent-teacher meetings, or informally by disciplining children individually and encouraging parents to seek assessment during phone calls and classroom meetings (2004, p. 76). Researchers have also speculated that the inability to discipline affected students has led “educators to embrace ADD as a medical category and to use Ritalin as a ‘substitute’ for educational discipline strategies” (2004, p. 76). This medicalization of childcare has progressed to the point that not seeking treatment may even be considered abusive or neglectful in some