The Medicalization of Everyday Life: Selected Essays

This collection of essays by Thomas Szasz critiques the expansion of medicalization, exploring how nonmedical conditions are increasingly labeled as medical problems and how psychiatry's efforts to explain the human condition can lead to treating life's difficulties as illnesses. Spanning from 1973 to 2006, the writings delve into the history of medicalization, including topics like drug addiction and social control, highlighting themes of societal conformity and the boundaries of medical authority. Szasz's work remains relevant in discussions about society’s approach to mental health and human behavior.