Health-Illness Continuum and Mental Health

Health-Illness Continuum And Its Relevance To Patient Care
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Introduction
The health-illness continuum is a graphical representation of how wellbeing is not only about the absence of illnesses but also more of mental and emotional health. Proposed by John W. Travis in 1972, the model is founded on the notion that one’s state of health is observed through a continuum ranging from sickness to wellness to fitness. One’s condition is rarely constant and while it is possible to be in good health today there is also a possibility to be dead tomorrow. Arguably, health is a continual change process, and everyone has to adapt to the changes and stay as fit as possible. Our day-to-day responses to life changes affect our health. Adaptation and effective functioning even with an underlying chronic disease is a state of wellness. For example, one can be physically fit but find it hard to work, while a diabetic can be fully functional and effective at work. The Health-illness continuum is of great relevance to patient care and wellbeing.
Heath-Illness Continuum And Patient Care
The Health illness continuum emphasizes not only treatment in the event of diseases but also on the general wellbeing of an individual. In the health-illness continuum graph, the middle point indicates normal health, the left side represents high-level wellness, and the right side represents illnesses and diseases. At the middle point, one is said to be physically stable but devoid of emotional and mental stability. A high level of wellness continuum is an indication of health perfection mentally, physically, and emotionally (Baker, 2019). Regarding patient care, the health-illness continuum offers an insight into a patient’s state of health through a wellness paradigm. With medicine and treatment being fundamental, they can only move an individual to a state of no sign of disease symptoms or illness, but it cannot take an individual to the highest level of wellness. A high level of wellness is attained through a comprehensive range of services and activities not limited to medicine.
Figure SEQ Figure \* ARABIC 1: researchgate.net
The Health-illness continuum ensures that health care practitioners treat patients and not diseases. Illnesses come as a result of a combination of mental, physical, and emotional instabilities, which literally can be avoided before one gets to the illness stage. However, through the health-illness continuum healthcare practitioners help patients and non-patients to always work towards the high-wellness stage of the continuum. Doctors offer...