Final answer:
The statement is true; illness indicates a person's experience of ill health influenced by cultural, social, and subjective factors, rather than just a pathologic change. It is different from disease, which is an objective biological condition.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'Illness is a medical term meaning that there is a pathologic change in the structure or function of the body or mind' is true. Illness refers to a person's personal experience of their health condition, which can be influenced by cultural and social factors. It encompasses both the experience of symptoms and the social implication of being unwell. This subjective experience may include feeling weak, experiencing pain, or having difficulties in functioning. In contrast to disease, which refers to an objective biological abnormality, illness is more about the lived experience of that condition.
Further distinctions in understanding health terms include sickness, which is the social role and identity taken on by someone ill; malady, which is a broad term that can encompass disease, illness, and sickness; and the term contested illnesses, illnesses that can be disputed or not widely accepted by the medical community.
The interpretation of what constitutes an illness is often shaped by the cultural meaning of illness and the social construction of the illness experience, which implies that not all illnesses are perceived the same way in different societies. Therefore, illness is not only a condition that affects the physical body but also one that impacts a person's emotional and social well-being.