Stages of an illness experience
Description
The first stage is the symptom experience when the person realizes something is wrong. This stage occurs when someone mentions that he/she looks unwell. It can also happen when the person experiences pain, cough, bleeding, among other symptoms. The assumption of the sick role is the second stage where the person accepts the sick role. During this stage, most people practice self-treatment while delaying contact with health professionals. The people around him/her may excuse the person from their regular duties. The third stage is the medical care contact, where the sick person sick advises from health professionals (Perkins & Lieberman, 2020). The health professional may diagnose the person with the illness or no illness. The person then follows thee prescriptions upon accepting the diagnosis. The dependent client role is the fourth stage, where the patient becomes dependent on the health professional for help. For some, illness meets the needs of dependence that leads to satisfaction. However, others experience fewer needs for dependency and thrive to resume independent functioning. The final stage is recovery or rehabilitation, where the patient relinquishes the dependent role. Besides, the patient returns to regular roles and responsibilities.
Example
I once suffered from malarial. I realized I was unwell when I started feeling weak and having a headache. I asked informed my siblings, who confirmed that I looked ill. Within a day, I accepted that I was sick since the headache would not clear, and I developed fevers and, I was excused from the house chores and started self-treatment with paracetamol to try to clear the headache and fevers (Piotrowski et al., 2019). Two days passed, and the illness persisted. At this point, my mother insisted that I had to see our family doctor. Besides, she accompanied me there. Upon doing some tests on me, the doctor diagnosed me with malaria. I accepted the diagnosis and was given medication. As I continued taking medication at home, I would find myself calling the doctor and asking questions about the changes I experienced. Within a week, I started feeling better and stopped consulting the doctor. Eventually, I recovered fully and resumed the house chores.
References
Perkins, D. O., & Lieberman, J. A. (2020). Stages of Illness. The American Psychiatric Association Publishing Textbook of Schizophrenia, 13.
Piotrowski, P., Rymaszewska, J., Stańczykiewicz, B., Małecka, M., Kotowicz, K., Samochowiec, J., … & Misiak, B. (2019). Stress coping strategies and their clinical correlates in patients with psychosis at various stages of illness: A case‐control study. Early Intervention in Psychiatry.