The following is part one of an occasional series about Mental Health Coping Strategies. As discussed in this column last month, Psychoneuroimmunology or PNI has been based on the research from physicians, psychologists and immunologists and is beginning to unveil the complex systems of emotionality, limbic and immune system function. PNI redefines terms used to describe the process of disease and illness. Disease is a medical term meaning an infection, pathology or stress in the physical body.
Illness is a holistic term meaning the experience of the disease or stress.
Cure is a medical term meaning the removal of the infection, pathology, disease or stress to the physical body. Healing is used for the experience of coping with illness. One major source of information about coping with HIV disease is the work of George Solomon, M.D., and Jeffrey Leiphart, Ph.D. of the University of California and the San Diego Lesbian and Gay Men's Community Center. Both doctors have spent years talking with people with HIV disease for a long time. They looked at what these people shared in common and the results of their work suggests several common characteristics of long-term survivors.