Abstract: Diagnosis and treatment are crucial steps in the process of medicalization, in which medical labels are enacted into disease realities. This article focuses on the clinical practice of pediatric psychiatrists， and seeks to advance our understanding of medicalization by providing a “thick description” of this practice. The article analyzes the clinical practice of doctors diagnosing children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder （ADHD） and prescribing medication. It also examines the different actions taken by parents in this process， such as cooperation， hesitation， or capitulation. The medical attributes of ADHA as a neurodevelopmental disorder is not only embedded in the interactive relationships and collaboration networks of medicine， education， and family， but also linked to the clinical practice of diagnosis and treatment. By focusing on clinical practice， the article brings the “human” and moral dimensions of medicalization to the forefront， and in so doing， presents a vivid account of how mental health categories are sometimes smoothly and sometimes haltingly incorporated into everyday life. Ultimately， the article argues that focusing on clinical practice can help us understand the mechanisms of medicalization at the micro level， and its ongoing and unfinished nature as a social process.

Key words: medicalization, diagnosis, psychiatry, ADHD