Key Concepts - Definitions

Question 1

Definition of Health

Answer 1

Health is a state of physical, mental and social well-being and not just the absence of disease or infirmity.

Question 2

Definition of Ill Health

Answer 2

Ill Health is a state in which an individual is unable to function normally because of the presence of something negative like a disease, or the absence of something positive like adequate nutrition.

Question 3

Definition of Disease

Answer 3

Disease is a diagnostic label given to a set of signs or symptoms, which are usually long term e.g. coronary heart disease.

Question 4

Definition of Stress related illness

Answer 4

Stress related illness refers to physical symptoms, which result from the physiological effects that occur when a person feels anxious and unable to cope with stressors like work e.g. headaches.

Question 5

Definition of Mental Health

Answer 5

Mental Health is not just the absence of a mental illness, but a form of personal well-being, in which an individual feels able to cope with life.

Question 6

Definition of Mental illness

Answer 6

Mental illness refers to a psychological condition that is characterised by behaviour which is abnormal and is often linked to chemical changes in the brain e.g. depression.