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Medicalisation of suicide
1Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of Tasmania, Private Bag 27, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia 7001.
The Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences : MJMS
|May 17, 2012
Summary
Medicalisation misclassifies normal distress as mental disorders. This study argues that suicide is often medicalised, potentially distorting research and requiring caution in its interpretation.
Area of Science:
- Social Sciences
- Medical Ethics
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Medicalisation involves misclassifying non-medical issues as medical problems.
- A frequent instance is labeling normal distress as a mental disorder, typically a mood disorder.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the concept of medicalisation as applied to suicide.
- To analyze how suicide is medicalised and its implications for research and clinical practice.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of medicalisation and its application to suicide.
- Review of the role of psychological autopsies and other factors in the medicalisation of suicide.
Main Results:
- Suicide is medicalised when treated as a diagnosis itself, or secondary to a non-existent mental disorder.
- Psychological autopsies in the West often link suicide to mental disorders, though their scientific validity is questioned.
- Researchers, coroners, police, policymakers, and families contribute to suicide's medicalisation.
Conclusions:
- The medicalisation of suicide can significantly skew research findings.
- A cautious approach is recommended when interpreting studies on suicide, particularly those relying on psychological autopsies.
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