Diversity, epistemic injustice and medicalization

Christophe Gauld; Lucie Jurek; Pierre Fourneret

doi:10.1016/j.cortex.2024.03.003

Diversity, epistemic injustice and medicalization

Cortex. 2024 Mar 19:S0010-9452(24)00070-4. doi: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.03.003. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Christophe Gauld¹, Lucie Jurek², Pierre Fourneret³

Affiliations

¹ Service de Psychopathologie du Développement de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, Hospices Civils de Lyon, France; Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229 CNRS & Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, France. Electronic address: christophe.gauld@chu-lyon.fr.
² Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, CH le Vinatier, Lyon, France; RESHAPE, Research on Healthcare Performance, U1290 INSERM, Claude Bernard University Lyon 1, Lyon, France.
³ Service de Psychopathologie du Développement de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, Hospices Civils de Lyon, France; Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229 CNRS & Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, France.

PMID: 38580533
DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2024.03.003

Abstract

This Viewpoint explores challenges within the neurodiversity framework, with a particular focus on autism, and discusses three critical aspects: the risk of epistemic injustice, the balance between over and undermedicalization, and the terminological complexities associated with the "neuro-" prefix. It underscores the importance of a balanced approach that avoids overmedicalization while providing essential support, addresses concerns about the indiscriminate use of "neurodiverse", questions the terminology on neurodiversity, and suggests considering a broader term like "biopsychosocial diversity". Ultimately, this Viewpoint advocates for a measured approach to neurodiversity, emphasizing historical context and a diverse perspective to foster collaboration between cognitive science and behavior research.

Keywords: Autism; Medicalization; Neurodiversity; Psychiatry.