Personal Experience of Medicalization - Essay Example

Medicalization Peter Holmes and I grew up in the same neighborhood and went to same schools, we naturally became friends and did most things together. We had a normal childhood; playful, energetic, fun loving and adventurous kids. At school, we did well academically, but as time went by, teachers began complaining about Peter’s behavior in class. He was particularly impatient, and had difficulty in retaining focus on one task ‘use less efficient strategies in searching their memory when they need to react to a situation’ (Barkley, 100).

As expected, they had to involve his parents; they described it as a ‘small medical condition’ which had to be corrected. It was difficult to understand why they thought Peter should be put through Special Education Services alongside his medication, in spite his lack of concentration in class; he did well in his academics. The class teacher exempted him from most activities, and he gradually became sad and withdrawn, and all the children in class knew him as sickly. “Although medicalization occurs primarily with deviance and ‘normal life events,’ it cuts a swath through the society and encompasses broad areas of human life.

Behaviors defined as immoral, sinful, or criminal (e.g. alcoholism) given medical meaning, moving them from badness to sickness…. Certain common life processes are medicalized as well,” Conrad, 6). “‘Medicalization’ describes a process by which non medical problems become defined and treated as medical problems, usually in terms of illness and disorders,” (Conrad, 4). The happy kid we knew in Peter taken away by the society that was keen on giving a quick solution to his ‘problem,’ and in the process they unnecessarily deprived him of his social life.

 “Medicalization seems to shift the responsibility away from the individual” (Best, 100). Had the society been more patient, Peter would have had a much better childhood. He was Attention Deficit Hyperactive disorder child with high Intelligence Quotient (IQ), and in conclusion as Conrad states numerous studies have emphasized how medicalization has transformed the normal into pathological. Work citedBest, Joel. Images of issues: typifying contemporary social problems. New York: Aldine de Gruyter, 1989. Print.Conrad, Peter.

 The medicalization of society: on the transformation of human conditions into treatable disorders. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007. Print.Barkley, Russell A.. Taking Charge of ADHD the Complete, Authoritative Guide for Parents (Revised Edition).. New York: Guilford Publications, 2000. Print.