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by Donald B. Ardell, Ph. D.
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Wellness in the Headlines
(Don's Report to the World)

The Medicalization of Health, Worry and Excessive Focus on the Dark Side of Life

Monday May 28, 2001

A pleasant and pensive Memorial Day to you!

I have mentioned before that health is too often "medicalized." Health is medicalized when it is made to seem a doctor-dependent state measured by the absence of illnesses and maladies rather than the presence of positive indicators of optimal functioning. Illness, in short, is easily and quickly assessed; most medical experts and lay persons alike understand a great deal about the nature of disease and sickness. Health and the even more arcane concept of wellness, on the other hand, are mysteries to physician and the public alike.

For this reason, an under--appreciated challenge we all face is to effectively resist the encroachment of oppressive medicalization in our lives. Let's not allow the system to convert almost everything into a medical matter, particularly those things that have no business as medical matters.

I'm a little sensitive about this at the moment because the wellness movement itself suffers from a tendency to medicalize. Can you believe it? In less than two months (July 15-20, to be exact), the National Wellness Conference will be held for the 26th consecutive year in Stevens Point, WI. Yet, what you think would be a great festival of the well is itself weighted down with medical matters! Really. A glance at the program this year and last reveals a surfeit of presentation topics on treatments and dysfunction, on healing and forgiveness, mending, crisis intervention, addictions, risk appraisals, grief management, inner demons, diet dragons, therapeutic this/emergency that/ and last but not least, exercise dangers! Can you believe it? What's wellness coming to? These are all worthy topics, but I'm concerned these health care professional--dominated matters are going to crowd out the kind of issues you should expect at a wellness festival! How come nobody is talking about wellness orgasms, for instance! It's annoying enough to make a wellite a little depressed.

Tomorrow I will offer an incredibly revealing personal anecdote that further illustrates this medicalization of life phenomenon. Be well.

Domain: mental
Subdomain: stress management

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