Tag: Illness narrative

According to the Cleveland Clinic, while a **disease** is a diagnosable medical condition, an **illness** is the personal, subjective experience of feeling unwell. This critical distinction helps in understanding how can illness be described from multiple perspectives, from a doctor's clinical report to a patient's personal narrative, highlighting that our experience of health goes far beyond a clinical diagnosis.

While physicians focus on objective biological factors, the concept of illness is profoundly subjective, shaped by psychological, social, and cultural factors. This means that understanding what is the subjectivity of illness is crucial for providing truly empathetic and effective healthcare that addresses the whole person, not just the diagnosis.