PsychologyAugust 8, 2026

pathologizes

puh-THOL-uh-jyz-iz

Definition

To characterize or classify a normal human behavior, emotion, or experience as a mental illness or medical condition.

Etymology

Derived from the Greek 'pathos' (suffering) and 'logos' (study), the suffix '-ize' was added in the 20th century to describe the medicalization of non-clinical states.

In the news

The article uses the term to critique how psychiatry sometimes labels common human distress as clinical pathology, arguing this approach can overlook social and environmental roots of suffering.

Opinion | RFK Jr. Has a Point About Psychiatry. It's Not the One He's Making.

Read the full article ↗

MedPage Today

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