Question

Based on the different concepts of health, discuss what you think the concept of ‘health’ is. Discuss the various aspects of the concept that you agree with, or disagree with.

Answer 1

World Health Organization,(WHO) which came into force on April 7, 1948, defined health “as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being.” Here they seen the health as a state dependent on the presence or absence of diseases: so they added to that definition that an individual, if he is to be considered healthy, should not suffer from any disease (….“and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”). As per the discusion we can use different type of definitions and these can include  that health is the absence of any disease or impairment. The second is that health is a state that allows the individual to adequately cope with all demands of daily life (implying also the absence of disease and impairment). The third definition states that health is a state of balance, an equilibrium that an individual has established within himself and between himself and his social and physical environment. If we are taking only the definition of the absence of disease it become purely mdical and a medical docter can only tell that whether he is healthy or not. Also this become so cruel that most of the symptoms may not be visible after lot of investigation and it make it debatable. There are many issues with the first and seconnd definitions for example people may not have problems that can be  counted as symptoms of a disease but do not feel ill and the opposite also.There are people who hear voices and might therefore be candidates for psychiatric examination and possibly treatment – but live well in their community and do not ask for nor receive medical care. Some of these individuals will also escape the second type of definition of health because they function as well as expected in their age and gender group of the general population

The other definitonwill be telling us disease or impairment will be considered as being healthy to a level defined by their ability to establish an internal equilibrium that makes them get the most they can from their life despite the presence of the disease. Health would thus be a dimension of human existence that remains in existence regardless of the presence of diseases, somewhat like the sky that remains in place even when covered with clouds. Here health is considered as a continum and has been based on the functionality of the each individual. So each and every definition has its own draw back and prevelages, but if it is based on the functionality element and adding up of the international classification of functionality will be added to it.