Biopower

from psychiatric power to the medicalization of life

Abstract

The “medicalization of life” is a theme that has been explored by several related fields of understanding, including collective health and psychiatry with Foucauldian works. This research analyzed the concept of biopower based on Foucauldian hypotheses when discussing the role of psychiatry in the control of bodies there, then and now. We developed an analysis of the relationship between biopower and psychiatric power, in addition to a description of what the latter would be. Through this analysis it is possible to reflect on the relationships between biopower and the medicalization of life in the contemporary world. We use the Literature Review method with a narrative and qualitative nature, which allows comparison and critical-reflexive analysis of the texts considered. To carry out the methodological approach used here in bibliographical research, a database was created containing the relevant texts, which were subjected to integrated syntheses and records. The revised theoretical considerations are still relevant for understanding medicalization today. The research results contribute with a theoretical framework for future empirical and theoretical research on Foucault's productions that lead us to understand today's dilemmas, moreover, assist in the elucidation and critical reflection of what psychiatric “Knowledge/power” is. and its implications for healthcare in today's world.