S324 - Lecture Guide
Medicalization of Mental Illness
Class 4, Wednesday, June 30
Lecture and Discussion Questions
1. What is medicalization? What are some examples of problems which have been considered social problems at one time being medicalized? Be prepared to give examples of degree and levels in which these problems have been medicalized.
2. What would a fully medicalized view of alcoholism mean for a social problem like drunk driving?
3. What are some of the theoretical perspectives on considering the medicalization of deviance? How are they used to understand the problem?
4. Consider the examples of ADHD from the Conrad reading and PMDD from the Figert reading. How were these two problems medicalized? To what degree are these problems medicalized and at what levels? How do they continue to be medicalized? (Consider the DSM IV and V criteria.) Which social theoretical traditions did these authors seem to be coming from?
5. Hoarding was previously considered a symptom of a separate disorder (what was it?) and is now being proposed in the DSM V as a separate disorder. If you were going to study the medicalization of hoarding, how would you go about doing that?
6. What would be the benefits to people who hoard to be considered mentally ill? Do you think the television show “Hoarders” benefits or harms people with this problem? What do you think about the portrayal of Tra (or other individuals if you have watched other episodes of the show) on the show?
7. Pick an social problem that you consider an inappropriately medicalized. Describe what the problem is and why you believe it should not be considered a medical problem. What kind of problem do you believe it should be understood as? Describe the levels in which and the degree to which it is already medicalized. (Note: if you would like to argue for the medicalization of a problem that is currently considered some other type of issue, you may do this - just make sure to cover all of the issues listed.)