Medicalization In Health Care

Words: 311

Pages: 2

Open Document

Sherine, you pose a great question. As mentioned by Barker, the definition of a disease may seem like a straightforward question, but the response is very complex. In my opinion, a disease is an affliction that negatively affects a living being. A disease can affect the host physically or mentally. A disease can also be asymptomatic, while still present.

The medicalization of contested illnesses does have beneficial contributions to the medical field and the individual. From experience, it is difficult when you know there is something wrong but you do not have a diagnosis. It can be somewhat refreshing to receive a medical diagnosis. Once an illness is medically diagnosed, doctors can appropriately treat the disease if it can be treated. …show more content…
Doctors may believe that that the person is pretending or exaggerating about their discomfort. The person may also be stigmatized in society. For example, drug addiction and gambling are behaviors that are looked down upon in society. The individuals who struggle with these addictions are unable to stop, and some may not receive the support they need from family. However, when addiction is categorized, as an illness, it is taken more seriously, and treatment becomes available. However, when a behavior such as addiction is medicalized individuals may use their diagnosis as a crutch to garner support.

There are many adverse effects of medicalization. Homosexuality was once medicalized. When a natural feeling or behavior such as homosexuality becomes medicalized, it is looked at as an anomaly. The person is considered as someone who needs to be "fixed." Humans are vastly different; when the medical community begins to medicalize natural human behavior, everyone becomes a patient. As Barker states, "through medicalization, natural human variation, normal experiences, routine complaints, and hypothetical scenarios become medical

Social Life Essay

Medical Sociology: Concerned with the social, cultural, historical, political and economical dimensions of health and illness. Positivist theory: By August Comp Basic tenets: Objective truth can be discovered only through scientific study.-Society operates by absolute laws or “social facts” that can be measured. Methods used: Quantitative Methods (Surveys, statistics, etc.).“Bird’s eye” view of social life. Seeks to answer “how many” or “how likely” questions. In Medical sociology: Concerned…

Words 1597 - Pages 7

Karp Medicalization

In his last chapter, Karp states that his thesis can be explained by a theoretical equation; Medicalization + Disconnection + Postmodernitization = Personal Dislocation. With his equation, he explores the relationship each part of the equation has with each other and how they connect to cause depression. Karp states that depression is caused by “concatenation of social circumstance, individual temperament, and biochemistry” (Karp, 1996) Karp connects Depression to social factors such as culture,…

Words 1205 - Pages 5

Sociological Approaches To Health And Health Care

approaches to health and health care Introduction -Sociology is the study of human interaction, its relation to overall social structures -Sociology of health seeks to understand the illnesses and health within societies -Sociology in medicine was first articulated by Robert Strauss in 1957 -Sociology in medicine wants to understand health related problems to create better public health -Sociology of medicine wants to understand society or sociological concepts through the lens of health problems…

Words 1154 - Pages 5

Health assignmet task 1 Essays

1.1 Biomedical model of health is the dominant approach to understanding the body as used as comparable to a machine, which goes wrong if not correctly maintained. The role of medicine is to encourage decent maintenance and to intervene if anything goes wrong. The importance of medicine is that cannot be overestimated, because most health care systems is such as National health Service (NHS) in Britain. Before the introduction of modern medicine techniques the level of death was much higher than…

Words 1140 - Pages 5

PS2150 Week2 PPT Essay

United States About one-sixth of all people who die are under the age of 65. Changes in diet are the primary cause of the dramatic declines in the death rate from heart diseases over the past several decades Tobacco Use  According to the World Health Organization, Tobacco is the single biggest cause of premature adult death throughout the world Mental Illness   People in the lower social classes have higher reported rates of mental illness due to stressful life experiences have more impact…

Words 1009 - Pages 5

The Benefits Of Marijuana

The American Medical Association's Council on Scientific Affairs should be commended for its report, "Marijuana: Its Health Hazards and very dangerous." Not only does the report outline evidence of marijuana's potential harms, but it distinguishes this concern from the legitimate issue of marijuana's important medical benefits. All too often the hysteria that attends public debate over marijuana's social abuse compromises a clear appreciation for this critical distinction. IN 1978, 32 states…

Words 1756 - Pages 8

LD 201 Supporting People with LD Essay

with learning disabilities 4200-22 209 Award in supporting individuals with learning disabilities 4200-31 209 Certificate in supporting individuals with learning disabilities 4200-32 209 Diploma in health and social care (Adults) for England 4222-21 245 Diploma in health and social care (Adults) for Wales & Northern Ireland…

Words 3449 - Pages 14

J Holist Nurs 2010 McDonald 92 8 Essay

approach to health care as a system. They served both to indicate serious problems and to assist in policy making, and then again to monitor the effects of the new policies. She pioneered the use of evaluative statistics and saw reforms achieved as a result of her advocacy. This article explores three key aspects selected from Nightingale’s more than 40 years of applied statistical work: her adaptation of Quetelet’s methodological foundations, the use of statistics in monitoring public health care systems…

Words 4536 - Pages 19

Birth Control Research Paper

widely use and find birth control methods effective in preventing unplanned pregnancies, however they do not lack health risks. Hormonal contraceptives such as birth control pills, patches and intrauterine devices (IUDs) have been linked to an increased risk of blood clotting disorder, cardiovascular issues, and majorly, an imbalance of hormones resulting in a threat to mental health. There are non-hormonal contraceptives such as copper IUDs that can lead to heavier periods and increased risk of…

Words 2567 - Pages 11

Essay about Marijuana Legalization

Pot : In the Spotlight. To Some people, it's a relaxing herb, something to temporarily pull the mind from reality. The aroma is unmistakable, the potency various, and there are roughly sixty five million people smoking it. I'm talking about Cannabis Sativa, the illegal strain of hemp known as marijuana. This plant provides many medical benefits that far outweigh the side effects. It has yet to be proven to be addictive or deadly. Marijuana as it stands right now is an illegal narcotic…

Words 2007 - Pages 9