Illness as a crisis of loss in a family system

A severe somatic illness and the associated stress can be considered in a multitude of perspectives, that of the patient, particular members of their family and the family system as a whole. The loss of health, an important value in life, evokes a sense of grief within the patient and their closest environment. That grief, despite being individually specific to a large degree, is characterized by certain consistently present properties and challenges. Consequently, the way in which those challenges are addressed affects the health of the patient and their family members. This publication discusses various strategies of coping with illness along with their consequences and motivations behind them. Family members can react to illness in ways that can be either constructive and destructive, either providing support and facilitating health or, on the contrary, leading to an individual crisis and disintegration of the family system.