Medicalization is a complex topic with a controversial view. To put it in words it is commonly referred to as the labeling of common characteristics as medical illnesses, while also influencing medical advancement in treatments and equipment. It has a tremendous impact on everyday life for all humans around the world. The further advancements of medicalization are important for our society as well as it being a good practice for any growing society. Medicalization has impacted society in a positive way by giving answers to unknown questions in order to further develop the medical field.
Medicalization has led to the development of cures for a numerous amount of illnesses. It is somewhat of a forgotten factor as certain vaccines aren’t possible without advancing the medical field. The cures have enabled developed societies to have less fear of widespread disease, for example, if you compare the United States and Uganda you can see a huge disparity in the amount of widespread illnesses. Because the United States is developed it can neutralize an illness before it has begun to spread while Uganda doesn’t have the medical technology to do so.
Medicalization has also enabled us to give names to psychological illnesses. This is important because not only is this the first step needed to fight a disease, but once you have set standards for an illness it gives medical professionals a set of parameters so that they can accurately diagnose while also making it easier to look for ways to eliminate or find the reasons why these illnesses exist. It is like a chain reaction, medicalization names the illness and then because it is a named illness scientist and trained professionals look for a way to treat and understand it.
Medicalization has also led to better medical equipment, it has done this by naming diseases and by doing this led to more equipment being developed to handle the new diseases. Medicalization itself didn’t develop these devices but the idea of medicalization has led to more diseases and with that more equipment is needed to tend to these illnesses. Due to medicalization our society has become more aware of the potential illnesses they are exposed to on a daily basis. With this knowledge the average citizen can become find information easier as well as more prevalent.
It has been argued that medicalization invades cultural practices by exposing them to the knowledge of medicalization. This factor isn’t a viable argument because every human being can do what they please with the information provided. The information is what medical professionals have discovered and medicalization will never be universally accepted as certain culture have their own practices. However, depending on the location you may be exposed to the results of medicalization and that factor is solely based on the individual’s choice of residency.
Medicalization has been linked to people trying to self-diagnose as Goethe states in” I too believe that humanity will win in the long run; I am only afraid that at the same time the world will have turned into one huge hospital where everyone is everybody else’s humane nurse. ”(Goethe,2011). Due to the results of medicalization information is more readily available, however, the information is also more available because of the technological advancements such as the internet. This is another flawed view of medicalization because medicalization itself didn’t cause people to take that information and try to diagnose themselves.
Humans being humans is what cause this and it cannot be controlled with everything. Information given to us is interpreted in many ways, what is done with the information isn’t the fault of medicalization but that of human beings. This quote by Charles Rosenberg “Sickness, pain, and disability remain ultimately individual and idiosyncratic. We can choose, for example, to avoid the behavioral admonitions built into the guidelines for chronic-disease management. ”, is an example of what is stated above. Medicalization is just providing the information and what is done with it depends on the human.
Another argument towards medicalization is that the DSM-IV created reaches too far to diagnose (Harvard Magazine,2009). This can be seen as both positive and negative, with it listing these actions a disease they can classify them into categories and further the knowledge by limiting the study. For example, if they label the over use of plastic surgery as a disease they can then list how to avoid it by telling the reader how it is attained. The DSM also gives a label to those with the disease which can be helpful to know that there is a problem and with that problem comes a possible solution.
This can give hope to the patients and at least assure them someone is trying to uncover what they have. This can also be seen as a negative however, as many people live thinking there is nothing wrong with them, but then those people won’t be helped with any sort of practice. This is again an attribute in humans so what they do with what they are provided depends on them. “medicalization is not inherently, or simply, good or bad, but—like most phenomena that cut such a wide cultural swath—complex. ” this quote by Homi Bhabhi speaks to the point above (Harvard Magazine, 2009).
Medicalization is a complex topic that influences nearly every individual in society. It has flaws and it has strengths which you feel is more important varies in the individual. Medicalizations strengths outweigh the negatives in my opinion, without it the human race could likely be extinct. Due to the many advancements and discoveries of medicalization I believe it is import for them to continue. Medicalization, in my opinion has strengthened the human race and given it the ability to combat illnesses and enhance the medical field as a whole.