Define 'medicalization of mental illness' with an example.

• A. The marketing of over-the-counter vitamins
• B. The social model of health focus
• C. The process of framing mental distress as a medical condition; example: expansion of diagnostic categories like ADHD or depression
• D. When therapy uses social support networks

Answer: (C)

Medicalization of mental illness means taking experiences of distress and reframing them as medical problems that can be diagnosed and treated like illnesses. This often shows up through expanding diagnostic categories, so more behaviors or feelings qualify as disorders and lead to medical interventions—think ADHD or depression being classified and treated within a medical framework. That’s why this option is the best: it directly describes the process and gives a concrete example of diagnostic expansion. The other choices don’t capture this reframing of distress as a medical issue—for instance, marketing vitamins is about consumer products, a social model focus emphasizes non-medical factors in health, and therapy based on social support networks reflects non-medical approaches to care. Understanding medicalization helps explain why some mental health experiences shift toward medical treatment and how diagnostic systems and pharmaceuticals influence care.