As múltiplas faces da medicalização: uma revisão histórica

Abstract

This study aims to present a historical review of the medicalization concept, analyzing how the understanding about of this process has changed in the past decades, moving from a orthodox point of view that considered this to be the result of a medical imperialism process on the society, until a modern-day critics, guided by a more nuanced understanding of the theme. Among the major changes in the reading of the medicalization, is the perception of it as an interactive and collective process, composed of numerous key players, each one with different interests and roles nowadays. While early authors of the 70 emphasized the social control and the damage caused by medicine, in a more recent approach individuals are no longer seen as victims, but as important advocates for medicalization. The individuals have begun to play a more significant role in this process, becoming key actors of a public debate about the ever-shifting boundary that legislate on the processes of health and disease. The notion of medicalization advanced towards a complex approach, bringing challenges that are quite different nowadays. Finally, we highlight a central development of this research presenting a more thorough review on the subject, especially regarding the issue of narrowing the normal, where the concept of medicalization can function as a useful conceptual tool of analysis. The example of psychiatry is mentioned as an analyzer question in this discussion, considering the social role historically played by this in the delimitation of boundaries that still deal with old problems about normality and abnormality. Therefore, this study provides a historical review of the concept of medicalization through the most relevant contributions of the international literature.