Why is it a Struggle to Define Chronic Illness?

If you were to walk up to a person on the street and ask him what he believed the difference was between illness and health, chances are that you would likely receive a fast reply about how health is when the body works correctly and illness is when it does not.

When a person begins to experience daily pain or symptoms that signify the presence of what may be a chronic illness, however, there is a new need to have a better understanding about what the real difference is between a body that is considered healthy and a body that is now defined as ill. Many people who are diagnosed with illnesses such as fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome, are surprised to find out that the scientists in the medical community continue to have a lack of full understanding about the diseases and their long-term impact on one's life.

There is not always a clear answer, since so many illnesses, such as fibromyalgia, are still surrounded with mystery and the long-term impact is not yet understood. A lack of information, however, does not cancel out the need for a person who is suffering to have his or her pain experience validated by both loved ones and medical professionals. That which was previously just an abstract circumstance, now has become personal. A person wishes to diagnose symptoms of illness.

The task of defining what a chronic illness is does not seem like it would be a difficult one, even though there are thousands of types of chronic illness. For example, health is when you feel good; illness is the lack of health or what some may consider, a chronic pain that does not go away. But we must also take into consideration the people who seem to be physically fit who one day have a heart attack or stroke in the midst of their regular exercise routine or daily activities.

So if health and illness cannot simply be defined based on appearance or one's measure of "feeling good" what factors do we use to define health and well being?

A question that may surprise healthy people but chronically ill people tend to start asking themselves is "Can one who lives with a chronic illness actually be healthy?" Can you be a chronically ill but healthy person?

According to Derek Yach, who presented on the topic of "Health and Illness: The Definition of the World Health Organization," both societies and individuals have a variety of definitions of what is regarded as health. These definitions have all undergone scrutiny and criticisms.

Determining the health and illness rates for a country is an unreliable science. Do the statistics of our life expectancy or infant mortality rates determine which countries are healthiest? As groups try to remove the toys from McDonald's Happy Meals to ensure healthier food options for our children in the USA, other countries struggle just to find food. Though I have been known to look at the McDonalds calorie list, not every mom is looking up the McDonald's Happy Meal toy schedule. Most are telling their children to eat the apples-not the apple pie.

Is it unrealistic to believe that everyone can obtain some level of health? The definition of health and illness will always be vague and determined not scientifically, but rather sociologically by those determined to use the definition to their advantage.

This brings us once again to the question of "What is a chronic illness?"

Scientifically speaking, we can use the definition of the term "chronic" given to us by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics which is any physical state that takes away one's measure of health or causes pain for 3 months or longer. These conditions could include the autoimmune illness chronic fatigue syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, Parkinson's disease, or even cancer.

Despite the fact that America may be well known for their well-being, nearly 1 in 2 American live with a kind of chronic pain, condition, or illness. This can include anything from chronic migraines to disabling back pain. This is according to the report "Chronic Care in America: A 21st Century Challenge" completed by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Our society has firmly held the opinion that the commonly advertised medications will cure our illness or at least make all symptoms soon disappear. And we are told this is true: that we just need to follow the advice of the pharmaceutical companies and soon we will be as good as we used to be!

We are basically told that pain management does not mean "managing the pain" but removing the pain. Most patients consider treatments or medications failures if they do not stop the chronic pain or illness symptoms. Although the pharmaceutical companies that produce these medications relies that they will only lessen the pain or decrease the symptoms, their advertisement gives the impression of a true healing.

When the World Health Organization (WHO) was founded in 1948, health was defined as "being a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity." Illness is defined as "a state of poor health" by Wikipedia. It states, "Illness is sometimes considered a synonym for disease."

Some would argue that true health is more a state of mind--an attitude about life--than what your lab tests results may reveal.

This is an issue that many people with illness are sensitive to, however. There are people who live with severe chronic illnesses who live a very healthy lifestyle, doing their best to stay as well as they can despite their condition. And then other people who are genetically blessed with good health, can tear their body up with stress or substance abuse, for example, and still stay relatively healthy. If these people do in fact end up getting an illness, then was it predetermined, or was it caused by their actions?

This is related to the definition of social health. Which comes first, the illness or the stress? There are many social factors that determine health and its definition.

To wrap up the topic, it can be difficult in our society to find a solid definition for chronic illness, because, depending on who you ask, the odds are that a variety of terms will be given. It's true that chronic illness has a long list of frustrations and burdens; I know this because I have lived with illness for nearly two decades. But I also try to understand that joy is a choice I can decide to focus on. And while lab tests can determine if I have an illness or not, and its severity, no one has the power to take away my joy or how I find it each day.

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