Abstract:
The medicalization of life acquires its own characteristics in mental health, and is ramified by the development of the pharmaceutical industry. In Argentina, statistics indicate that women are more likely to be prescribed psychopharmaceuticals, with a trend towards the feminization of their use. The research in which this work is framed intends to prioritize the interpretive analysis of the senses around the use of psychotropic drugs, and to observe, especially, the situation of women. The article analyzes this topic as a social research problem and exposes some conceptual lines after a background review. The theme is introduced based on social studies in mental health, quantitative data is shared and research is retrieved that analyzes uses and routes of users. Finally, it delves into how the gender perspective becomes important in mental health studies and, more specifically, in the use of psychoactive drugs.
Keywords:
Mental health; Psychopharmaceuticals; Gender; Medicalization