Razi Journal of Medical Sciences

"Medicalization" occurs when the non-medical issues are defined and treated in the medical field. The purpose of this study was to develop the concept of medicalization and the transition of the concept from patient to the customer, truth to wishes and treatment to trading. The study is a review research conducted through reviewing the library and electronic resources to develop medicalization’s concepts. This research is focused on the prominent authors' findings on causes and consequences of medicalization.

One of the consequences of medicalization is that the patients become to customers. In addition, there is a growing number of health issues which may be treated based on patients' wishes not reality. On the other hand, pharmaceutical companies efforts to develop artificial market, and to convince people to use their products.

Considering human problems as medical problems is a mistake we commit about the nature of the world. To this regard, we must distinguish between body and mind, and in treatment consider the mind and social problems as well. We should not consider human as a machine that can be repaired, and attempt to treat patients when symptoms of malfunctioning is observed.