medicalize

(medi kəl īz′)

transitive verb medicalized, medicalizing

to use medical methods or concepts in dealing with (nonmedical problems, conditions, etc.)

Related Forms:

See medicalize in American Heritage Dictionary 4

transitive verb med·i·ca·lized, med·i·ca·liz·ing, med·i·ca·liz·es
To identify or categorize (a condition or behavior) as being a disorder requiring medical treatment or intervention: “Increasingly, [attention deficit disorder] has become a catch-all diagnosis that medicalizes troublesome behavior in kids” (Judy Foreman).

Related Forms:

  • medˌi·ca·li·zaˈtion (-lĭ-zāˈshən) noun

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