How can you describe concepts of health?

Answer 1

It will come as no surprise that sociologists have great difficulty in agreeing on a definition of what it means to be healthy. Health can be defined in terms of the absence of disease, sometimes described as a negative approach to health. This is contrasted with a positive definition such as that provided by World Health Organisation; not merely an absence of disease, but a state of complete physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being.

There are three concepts of health; these are holistic, positive and negative. A person can have one or more concept of health. In the health and care sectors, care professionals would adopt a holistic approach to care and support. They see their role as addressing the needs of the whole person rather than specific issues or identified problems.

A holistic health is the belief that being healthy means being without any physical disorders or diseases and being emotionally uncomfortable, people with this view are likely to label themselves as ill when they experience a wide range of unpleasant feelings, not just physical discomfort or pain.

A positive conceptof health is the belief that being healthy is a state achieved by continuous effort. People with this belief take active steps to maintain their health. They will take credit for continued absence from disease and blame themselves if they develop symptoms.

A negative conceptof health is the view that being healthy is the absence of illness- not having any symptoms of disease, pain or distress. People with this view are likely to believe that good health is normal and to take it for granted they are well. They assume that they do not need to take any actions to keep healthy. Unlikely to think of themselves as ill when they have minor discomfort caused by colds or headaches, or when they feel tired or depressed.

A person with complex needs, for example a young mother with multiple sclerosis, may be supported by a range of professionals. These would include a GP, a community nurse, an occupational therapist, a social worker and a health visitor, often referred to as a multidisciplinary team. They will each have their particular roles and responsibilities for her care and support, but they will want to carry out a holistic assessment; they will recognize the importance of the young woman's wider needs when providing their specialist care.

Answer 2

Ill health means different things to different people. How people view ill health depends on a variety of factors; if they've been seriously ill before, how knowledgeable they are about illness and also what they would class as a "severe" or "mild" illness etc. There are three main concepts of ill health: ill health as a subjective sensation of illness; ill health as disease symptoms, and finally, ill health as a disorder or malfunction within the body. The first concept is ill health as disease symptoms. This concept focuses on the symptoms associated with ill health, such as vomiting, diarrhoea, pain and also visible symptoms, such as rashes and lumps on the skin. This is a common concept among patients, rather than health professionals, as it is about what the sufferer feels, rather than what the doctor or nurse is classifying those symptoms as. This concept of health is beneficial as people who have this concept will pick up on symptoms much quicker, and therefore will more readily seek medical advice. However, a fixation or overuse of this concept may develop into hypochondria, where people constantly panic over very mild symptoms, believing they may have a serious or fatal illness when, in most cases, they are perfectly fine, or have a very mild infection or illness, such as a cold. The second concept is ill health as a subjective sensation of illness. This is a general feeling of being ill or unwell, also known as "Malaise". Malaise is a general feeling of uneasiness or discomfort, and is often an initial stage of an illness or disease. It is a general term for all sorts of non-visual symptoms (symptoms that are not physically apparent), such as fatigue, depression, and the general feeling of being run-down and exhausted. Doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals view malaise as being a "warning light" to the brain, telling it that something is not quite right within the rest of the body (Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malaise). The final concept of ill health is ill health as a disorder or malfunction. This usually relates to more serious and life threatening diseases illnesses, such as Heart disease, intestinal blockage or a brain tumour.