Sociology 2246A/B Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Fibromyalgia
10 Mar 2019
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A profusion of diagnoses - that"s good and bad. Diagnosis is often very powerful because it validates the experiences of those who are suffering. Evidence shows that patients who receive a fibromyalgia diagnosis often have fewer symptoms and are more satisfied with their level of health. Since the 1980s, there has been a significant increase in medical diagnoses. The cost of these new conditions costs 4% of total health care spending. Diagnoses often offer comfort to patients - but it could be possible that normal human behavior is being labeled as disease, exposing patients to unnecessary stigma, treatment, and testing. Medicalized diagnosis is often associated w/ medicalized treatment. Sleep problems have doubled since the 1990s - but prescriptions have increased 30x. Of teenagers and children take prescription drugs regularly. Pharmaceutical companies have taken an active role in this process and advertise directly to physicians.
