Medicalization, wish-fulfilling medicine, and disease mongering: Toward a brave new world?

Western societies are characterized by a growing medicalization of life events, such as pregnancy, aging, or even death. Three concepts -medicalization, wish-fulfilling medicine, and disease mongering- are key in understanding the current practise of Medicine. Quite surprisingly, not a single study has addressed the relationship between all three of these concepts. The term medicalization expanded under the open-ended concept of health developed by the World Health Organization in 1946. One of the consequences of medicalization is the transition from patients to clients. Physicians are under increasing pressure to meet the insatiable demands of their clients. The term wish-fulfilling medicine refers to the increasing tendency of medicine to be used to fulfill personal wishes (i.e. enhanced work performance). The insatiable demand for healthcare is troublesome, particularly in Europe, where the welfare states are more and more under pressure. Finally, the term disease mongering refers to attempts by pharmaceutical companies to artificially enlarge their "markets" by convincing people that they suffer from some sickness and thus need medical treatment. Typical examples of disease mongering are social anxiety disorder, low bone mineral density, and premature ejaculation. Currently, some Public Health Services could be on the brink of collapse as they "navigate" between the scarce resources available and the users' insatiable health demands. Therefore, it appears necessary to generate clear-cut Public Health Services Port-folios. (C) 2013 Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.