It is significant that we have had such a comprehensive definition of health as our global goal for over half a century, even though we are far from achieving it. This is illustrative of the aspirations of the public health community generally. Newer definitions may explicitly recognize the fact that ‘health’ as a state of mind may exist even in the presence of some diagnosable conditions. This has been brought home most clearly by those with conditions once called crippling or handicapping who ask that they be considered not ill but “differently abled”.

More recent WHO documents identify the need for individuals to experience functional participation in the life of family and community as a part of achieving health.