Medicalization of emotions

In modern society, an individual's mental state has ceased to be merely a personal matter and has become a medical issue. Emotions such as sadness, anxiety, and fear are no longer viewed as temporary and natural reactions but as diagnosable and treatable disorders. This situation is closely related to the process of medicalization of emotions. Modern medicine has gone beyond being merely a health practice and has become a powerful social institution that shapes individuals' bodies, minds, and emotional experiences. The historical development of medicine has evolved not only as an advancement and transformation of medical knowledge but also as a power relationship, becoming an important tool for controlling the body and health. Under the influence of neoliberal health policies, illnesses have not only been treated as medical problems but have also become economic and social issues. In this context, healthcare services have gone beyond simply treating individuals, transforming them into consumers. The global spread of medicine has established a powerful authority over individuals' emotional health by medicalizing not only physical illnesses but also psychiatric disorders on a global scale. Universal diagnostic criteria such as the DSM and ICD have become guidelines for classifying and limiting emotions, and the increasing number of emotional disorder diagnoses in each new edition has raised the question of whether it is illness or patients that are increasing. raises the question of whether it is the diseases or the patients that are increasing. Therefore, diseases such as depression and anxiety disorders, as well as emotions such as anger, anxiety, and fear, should be considered in conjunction with the social realities that give rise to these diseases and emotions. The study examined the relationship between the medicalization of emotions and social changes and events through participants who consulted psychiatrists and psychologists. Face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 participants and 2 physicians who had visited a psychiatrist or psychologist, selected using snowball sampling. The results of the study reveal that everyday emotions, which are considered illnesses, are controlled by medical discourse, and that most participants received psychological treatment because they encountered many negative emotions such as anxiety, fear, unhappiness, and anger, and felt helpless in making sense of their emotions. Keywords: Antidepressant, Emotional illness, Iatrogenesis, Psychiatry, Medicalization