Depersonalization
The process through which a condition or behavior becomes defined as a natural condition or process rather than an illness. Depersonalization The process through which an individual comes to feel less than fully human or comes to be viewed by others as less than fully human. depoliticize To define a situation in a way that hides or minimizes the political nature of that situation. deviance Behavior that violates a particular culture’s norms or expectations for proper behavior and therefore results in negative social sanctions. See negative social sanctions. diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) System established by the federal government that sets—for all Medicaid and Medicare patients and for each possible diagnosis—an average length of hospital stay and cost of inpatient treatment. Under the DRG system, hospitals are paid the established cost for each patient with a given diagnosis, regardless of the actual cost of treatment. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) Manual published by the American Psychiatric Association and used by mental health workers to assign diagnoses to clients. Generally, this manual must be used if mental health workers want to obtain reimbursement for their services from insurance providers. differential In sociological writing, an adjective referring to a situation in which one group has more or less of something than another. For example, different social classes in the United States have differential access to health care. direct-entry midwives Midwives who lack nursing degrees.
