Mittehaiguste

Mittehaiguste is a term used in Estonian health discourse to refer to conditions or states that do not meet the criteria of disease or illness. The term is used to distinguish, in certain contexts, between conditions that are unhealthy or diseased and those that are normal, benign, or non-pathological. The concept can encompass physiological processes (for example puberty, pregnancy, menopause), normal aging, injuries or functional impairments that do not represent a chronic disease, and cosmetic or subjective differences that do not impair health.

In practice, the use of mittehaiguste varies; not all medical systems recognize it as a formal category, and there is some overlap with concepts like health, well-being, or functional status. It can be employed in patient education, public health messaging, and health policy to avoid labeling every variation as disease and to allocate care and resources appropriately. The term can also be contested, as some conditions may be stigmatized or medicalized even when they are not diseases, and vice versa.

Because the term is language-specific and context-dependent, its exact definition and boundaries are not universally standardized. Researchers emphasize careful use to avoid ambiguity and ensure that essential health problems are not overlooked.