The critical approach to medical anthropology looks at the
use of allopathic, western medicine or biomedicine as a whole in a critical
fashion. The word biomedicine basically means "health in terms of
biology." This means understanding the biological and anatomical parts of
the body in order to maintain health. Being a biology major, I found this
approach the most interesting. We learned about different dichotomies and how
they relate to one another. As with just about any other illness, anxiety has a
history. Surprisingly enough, anxiety disorders weren’t diagnosed until the
1980's. Before this time it was just known to be "stress" or
"nerves." I even found in another source that claimed that anxiety
placed you within a "framework of sin, redemption and eternal
judgment." I believe that the previous perceptions of anxiety have molded
how we, as a society think about it today. I think the social factors that
influence the way that we understand anxiety in western culture today has to do
with the people and our surroundings. If you have friends or family that have anxiety,
it will be easier to understand what it is like based on the actions of that
person. I think that this can relate to the history of anxiety.
Back in the day, people thought you were crazy or possessed, but in reality it was just an abnormality in the brain. I don’t there that there can be many political factors that influence how we perceive anxiety, but there has been a correlation between anxiety and politics. There are a few main drugs that are prescribed to people with anxiety, being xanax and ativan. I believe from an economic standpoint, these drugs are often advertised saying that it will be a great cure for anxiety, even though they are highly addictive. I think that the advertisements promoting these drugs alter our perception of what anxiety really is and how it can be treated. I think that this illness is absolutely medicalized in western culture. And I think that this says a lot about our culture in itself. We are always seeking some sort of pill or substance in order to help our conditions. I mean, because of this these types of drugs have become even easier to obtain, even without a prescription. Because of this illness being medicalized, it has become a part of modern culture. I don’t think that people truly know how anxiety or an anxiety feels without actually experiencing it. I think that from an American culture standpoint, anxiety is somewhat misunderstood. A lot of people told me to just go talk to someone to help it, but it’s really not that easy. It is a misunderstood illness with a lot of negative stipulations. References Makari, George. "In The Arcadian Woods." Opinionator. http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/16/in-the-arcadian-woods/?_r=0. Tracy, Natasha. "History of Anxiety Disorders." HealthyPlace. http://www.healthyplace.com/anxiety-panic/articles/history-of-anxiety-disorders/ |
|