HealthAugust 26, 2026
medicalizing
MED-ih-kuh-ly-zing
Definition
The process of treating or interpreting human behaviors, conditions, or social issues as if they were medical diseases that require clinical intervention.
Etymology
Derived from the word 'medical,' originating from the Latin 'medicus' (physician or healing), with the suffix '-ize' used to indicate a process or action of turning something into a medical matter.
In the news
The author uses this term to describe a criticism of the DSM, noting that relying on subjective criteria rather than biological evidence risks pathologizing ordinary human suffering as a medical illness.
I’m part of the team writing the next bible of psychiatry – for the first time, the DSM will use biology to understand mental disorders
Read the full article ↗Cobb Courier