ABSTRACT
Medicalisation is the process by which a growing array of conditions and experiences of human life become defined, understood, and managed through medical and medically-related expertise. This chapter examines the origins and characteristics of medicalisation, recognising that it has been driven not only by the work of medical professionals, but increasingly through pharmaceutical companies and consumers. Focusing on mental health and gender and health, the chapter shows the diverse ways in which medicalisation is conceived, experienced, and used to bolster an array of often controversial and sometimes competing agendas. Attention is also given to the ways that medicalisation shapes, and is shaped by, dominant power structures and inequalities. The chapter explores the implications of this for healthcare and treatment accessibility, cultures of working practice and societal norms, values and expectations.
