Pathologize

Many of us know of the word "pathologize," but far fewer have a full understanding of its meaning and effects.

Pathologize Definition

To define pathologize, we should first define pathology. According to Merriam-Webster, pathology is "the study of the essential nature of diseases and especially of the structural and functional changes produced by them" or, quite simply, "something abnormal." Therefore, it follows that pathologize is defined as "to view or characterize as medically or psychologically abnormal."
While a psychologist would be able to pathologize someone by analyzing certain symptoms officially, the term often refers to when something is overdiagnosed. It can sometimes come into use in our daily lives as well; often people will self-diagnose, or diagnose others, in a way that can be unwittingly derogatory and often inaccurate.

Over-Pathologizing

In a day and age where diagnoses are more advanced than ever before, some believe that professionals are diagnosing some routine or normal behaviors as symptoms of greater mental illness. This, in many cases, causes a dependency on drugs that may or may not be necessary.