Why do people respond differently to illness and why is health so hard to define?

The concepts of health, disease and illness are all very subjective, and thus it is very hard to actually define them. As prospective doctors it is our task to work towards restoring health in patients, so it is essential to understand the idea of health. The problem arises because the concepts of health and illness are very different for each individual; for instance one person might feel a sprained ankle is a major problem because he is a professional rugby player, whilst for someone else it could just be an annoyance. Studies in this area reveal that perceptions of health vary between cultures and communities, due to differences in age, gender, socioeconomic background and ethnicity.

An essential part of discovering why people respond to illness in such different ways was through my placements at a GP’s surgery in Barnes and the Hammersmith Hospital. This gave me an excellent chance to gain insight into why people visit their GP. I had a chance to have a quick discussion with p...