(In)appropriate Medicalization
April 1, 2025, Inner City University Library
On April 1, Van Hier Naar [...], part of The New Utrecht School, organized the public dialogue “(In)Appropriate Medicalization.”
When does care become a solution, and when does it become a symptom of a deeper problem? In a time when obesity, stress, and chronic conditions are taking on societal dimensions, the role of medical interventions is expanding. But what does it mean when prevention increasingly comes in the form of a pill? And what do we lose when we increasingly redefine human experiences as medical conditions?
On Tuesday, April 1, Van Hier Naar […] organized a public evening on the societal consequences of medicalization. After opening with a segment from a theatre performance, speaker Wieteke van Dijk shared her perspective on when medicalization is appropriate—and when it is not.
Speakers/Performers:
- Anne & Luuk (HKU Theater) are actors in training at the HKU University of Arts Utrecht. They recently presented a powerful scene about the individual experience of medicalization: the search for stability, control, and meaning in a world full of medical language. Together, they opened the public dialogue with a special theatrical intervention that invited reflection.
- Dr. Wieteke van Dijk (Radboud UMC / VGZ) is affiliated with Radboud UMC and the Celsus Academy for Sustainable Healthcare. She has published, among other works, Medicalisation and Overdiagnosis: What Society Does to Medicine and is active as a policy developer at Coöperatie VGZ. Her work focuses on the societal impact of healthcare systems, overdiagnosis, and how social norms shape our understanding of illness.
We look back on an inspiring evening with a strong discussion afterward. Thanks to all attendees and speakers!