“Why Psychotropic Medications?”: Adolescents’ Experiences and Moral Dilemmas in Psychiatric Hospitalization
Abstract
This article explores the experiences and moral dilemmas associated with psychopharmaceutical use among adolescents hospitalised in a child and adolescent psychiatric unit in France. Drawing on an ethnographic study based on participant observation, the analysis focuses on the moral, relational and subjective tensions surrounding psychiatric diagnosis and pharmacological treatment. The findings show that psychopharmaceuticals are experienced ambivalently: as necessary resources for crisis management and emotional regulation, but also as imposed technologies associated with dependence and threats to autonomy and authenticity. Adolescents’ narratives reveal active processes of negotiation, resistance and appropriation of medical knowledge, as well as symbolic disputes concerning identity, self-control and agency. The article contributes to a critical reflection on psychiatric practices in inpatient settings, highlighting the importance of incorporating adolescents’ voices and experiences into therapeutic decision-making.
Keywords
Mental health, Psychotropic drugs, Adolescence, Psychiatric hospitalizationReferences
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Agencia Nacional de Investigación y Desarrollo
Grant numbers ICS13_005
Copyright (c) 2026 Juan Pablo Pinto, Álvaro Jiménez-Molina, Mauricio Carreño-Hernández
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