The article deals with stress reactions of patients induced by uncalled-for comments from healthy people about a patienťs illness. They mainly result from incomprehension and ignorance about the course of a disorder and its reaction to various forms of patienťs stress. A patienťs subjective experience is not always identical to the scientific definition or diagnosis of a disease. A healthy person then does not understand the sick one. This often leads to an underestimation and to stereotypical patterns of response to patienťs illness, especially in psychosomatic and other less clear diseases. Stress reactions are influenced by a patienťs per¬sonality, his/her temperament, childhood experiences, family situation, current status, and puipose in life. It is important to comprehend a patienťs life story in its individual biopsychosocial conditionality.

        Key words: psychosomatic medicíně, healthy person and patient communication, illness and disease, life story, biopsychosocial approach.