CRIM 1400 Lecture Notes - Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Kaiser Family Foundation, Autism Spectrum
6 Jun 2018
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Medicalization
● Defining a problem in medical terms, using medical language to describe a problem,
adopting a medical framework to understand a problem, or using a medical intervention
to “treat” it
Type 1 “From Badness to Sickness”
● Mental illnesses
● Alcoholism
● Domestic violence
Diagnostic Expansion
● Brought under umbrella of healthcare
○ Autism → autism spectrum disorders
■ Asperger’s, Rett’s, Autistic disorder, etc.
Type 2 Normal Physical Processes Fall Under Purview of MEdicine
● Childbirth
● Aging
○ Caretakers
Other Drivers: The Shifting Engines of Medicalization
● Declining physician authority
○ Don’t have exactly same degree of social prestige as in past
● Increased scrutiny on the role of:
○ Consumers
■ Women’s healthcare
○ Pharmaceutical Industry
○ Managed care
■ No longer just under control of doctors
Change in FDA Rules (1997)
● In 1999, the AMA expressed their concern about consumer-directed advertisements
○ Stated that DTC advertisements should focus on diseases rather than specific
products
○ Physician should be especially concerned about ads that don’t refer to physicians
and don’t say who’s at risk
○ After rule change, spending increased a lot
Does Direct-to-Consumer-Advertising Matter?
● A 2003 report by the HEnry J. Kaiser Family Foundation reviewed sales and estimated
effects of DTCA
○ Estimated effect on market share
● Findings:
○ 10% increase in ad spending → 1% increase in sales
○ Accounts for 12%b of growth in pharmaceutical sales
Physicians Resent DTCA, But Are Happy to Talk to Pharmaceutical Reps
● Most spending targeted at doctors
Medicalization
● Is the DTCA really shifting power of medicalization out of the hands of physicians?
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Defining a problem in medical terms, using medical language to describe a problem, adopting a medical framework to understand a problem, or using a medical intervention to treat it. Type 2 normal physical processes fall under purview of medicine. Don"t have exactly same degree of social prestige as in past. No longer just under control of doctors. In 1999, the ama expressed their concern about consumer-directed advertisements. Stated that dtc advertisements should focus on diseases rather than specific products. Physician should be especially concerned about ads that don"t refer to physicians and don"t say who"s at risk. After rule change, spending increased a lot. A 2003 report by the henry j. kaiser family foundation reviewed sales and estimated effects of dtca. 10% increase in ad spending 1% increase in sales. Accounts for 12%b of growth in pharmaceutical sales. Physicians resent dtca, but are happy to talk to pharmaceutical reps. Better informed patients may be better able to advocate for themselves.
