Can medicalization be good? Situating medicalization within bioethics.
Medicalization has been a process articulated primarily by social scientists, historians, and cultural critics. Comparatively little is written about the role of bioethics in appraising medicalization as a social process. The authors consider what medicalization means, its definition, functions, and criteria for assessment. A series of brief case sketches illustrate how bioethics can contribute to the analysis and public policy discussion of medicalization.
Sadler
John Z
JZ
Division of Ethics and Health Policy, Department of Clinical Sciences, UT Southwestern, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390-9070, USA. John.Sadler@UTSouthwestern.edu
Jotterand
Fabrice
F
Lee
Simon Craddock
SC
Inrig
Stephen
S
D000375:Aging; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; D026688:Bioethical Issues; D001675:Bioethics; D002410:Catholicism; D002608:Charities; D003643:Death; D004469:Economics, Hospital; D016519:Hospitals, Religious; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D013677:Medical Laboratory Science; D008678:Metaphysics; D011203:Poverty; D028662:Principle-Based Ethics; D011639:Public Opinion; D012068:Religion and Medicine; D012945:Social Values