Figure 1. Schematic representation of the link between the emotional and immunological systems in healthy and diseased conditions. In a normal basal state (top left panel), the emotional and immunological responses are linked with each other in equilibrium. In healthy conditions (top right panel), pathogens of different nature, changes in environmental conditions, and significant life events prompt an adaptive response that helps the host deal with these challenges. In patients suffering from emotional (bottom left panel) or immunological (bottom right panel) disorders, the same challenges cause an exacerbated or dysfunctional compensatory immune or emotional response, respectively.