The medicalization of society : on the transformation of human conditions into treatable disorders / Peter Conrad.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Conrad, Peter, 1945-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Social medicine--History.

Social medicine.

History.

Sociology, Medical--trends.

Medical Subjects:

Sociology, Medical--trends.

Physical Description:

xiv, 204 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Baltimore : Johns Hopkins University Press, 2007.

Summary:

Building on more than three decades of research, Peter Conrad explores the forces behind the trend to treat what were once commonly considered normal human conditions as medical ailments. Using case studies of short stature, social anxiety, "male menopause," erectile dysfunction, adult ADHD, and sexual orientation, he examines the emergence of and changes in medicalization, the consequences of the expanding medical domain, and the implications for health and society. This thought-provoking study offers valuable insights into how medicalization got to this point and where it is heading.

Contents:

Medicalization : context, characteristics, and changes

Extension : men and the medicalization of andropause, baldness, and erectile dysfunction

Expansion : from hyperactive children to adult ADHD

Enhancement : human growth hormone and the temptations of biomedical enhancement

Continuity : homosexuality and the potential for remedicalization

Measuring medicalization : categories, numbers, and treatment

The shifting engines of medicalization

Medicalization and its discontents.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [171]-196) and index.

ISBN:

9780801885846

0801885841

9780801885853

080188585X

OCLC:

72774268

Online:

Contributor biographical information

Publisher description