Random Events, Conditions, Disorders, and Diseases: What, if any, are the differences between these terms? The term “random event” carries with it the connotation of a single event for which an explanation is difficult, if not impossible. The term “condition” carries the connotation of repeated events, which may occur with regularity or in a predictable pattern. The term “disorder” carries the connotation of a condition which is caused by an identifiable internal malfunction, or design flaw. The term “disease” carries the connotation of a condition which is caused by an externally introduced agent.
Why am I concerned? Should I be concerned? Should others be concerned? The human side of these questions includes the human psychological need to name, identify and control internal and external events. However, it also includes the practical side to these questions because insurance reimbursement almost always requires the identification of a problem. Insurance companies are usually hesitant to reimburse for the treatment of a “random event.” I have been questioned on coverage until the random event could be identified as part of a condition or disorder.
I began thinking about this post in relationship to my concerns and questions connected to my recent battles with health, communication, physical abilities, and mental capabilities. However, as I have talked and exchanged emails with others, I have found that I was not the only person to ask these same and related questions. The article, “Branding a Soldier with Personality Disorder” in the February 25, 2012 edition of the New York Times, raises the related concern of a hierarchy among disorders. The article may be found at <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/25/us/a-military-diagnosis-personality-disorder-is-challenged.html?_r=1&nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha2 >
This hierarchy among random events, conditions, disorders and diseases affects the coverage and treatment that one can expect to receive. Senior moments receive less attention than aphasia. Senior moments receive less attention than dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Tremors receive less attention than Parkinson’s disease.
With these states of affairs stacked against an individual, it is imperative that individuals and their caregivers be prepared to insist upon and fight for the best and most appropriate treatment available. Given the current fiscal model under which medicine operates, the best and most appropriate treatment available may not be the first option offered to patients and their caregivers, if any option is offered at all.
Please understand that I am not condemning the medical enterprise for this state of affairs. I have spent 40 years in higher education. It has its own difficulties that many believe begin with a broken fiscal model. This often means that the best and most appropriate education is not always offered to students. At the risk of starting a philosophical war I invite responses to the question: “Are education and medical care, a public or private good?”
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