I’m interested in exploring this because I think it touches where we can have a big effect locally. Pharmaceutical and high-technology interventions in hospitals are targeting disease aspects of unhealth.
If we focus on Allen Young’s ‘illness’ and ‘sickness’ aspects of unhealth we will be doing something with a lot of chance of local effectiveness.
We will take as a working definition of ‘illness’how disease and sickness are brought into individual consciousness. Illness personalizes disease. It is the secondary psychosocial and cultural responses to disease by the patient.
We will take as a working definition of ‘sickness’the process through which worrisome behavioral and biological signs particularly ones originating in disease are given socially recognizable meanings. Sickness socializes illness and disease. It is the cultural responses to disease and illness by the patient’s family and social network.
These give us something to think and learn about our health.
If we get a disease that is acute but self-limiting and naturally remitting what do we do? An example would be if we get a cold or if we get the flu or if we get chicken-pox.
If we have a non-life threatening chronic diseases how do we manage it?
Do we have interpersonal problems or minor psychological disorders that are leading to secondary somatic manifestations? An example would be if we are having problems with the boss at work and getting tension headaches; or if we are working long hours and are getting very over-tired and not getting enough sleep and our behaviour is become eratic.