Medicalization of childhood: Between care and medication

Abstract

From psychoanalytic clinics with children, a close relation can be observed between care and medicalization. Studies on medicalization are extremely relevant today, considering not only the capture of forms of psychical suffering, but also the massive production of diagnoses and the pathologization of childhood. In these terms, this study, in light of psychoanalytic theory, intends to perform an articulation between the notion of care and the medicalization of childhood. To do so, at first, a theoretical discussion is presented on the impact of medicalization on the care given to children. Then, we highlight the importance of care for the psychical constitution and its connection with the medical discourse. At last, we emphasize that medicalization is increasingly becoming a mechanism that tampers with diversity. It is essential to rethink the advances of medicalization as a major form of therapeutic intervention and the extent of its reach in the contemporary scenario.