When do we say 'problem' or 'difficulty'; when do we say 'issue'?

It might be best parsed this way....I have an issue. You have a difficulty. He has a problem.

The word "issue" always implies contention. A long time ago, female suffrage was not an issue; nobody really thought that women should have the vote.

Then, in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it became an issue; many people campaigned for women's right to vote and many resisted.

Now it is again a non-issue; nobody takes the position that women shouldn't vote.

Slavery was both an issue and a problem in America in the nineteenth century. It was a problem in the eyes of anti-slavery folk because they saw it as a great social evil that caused terrible suffering. The pro slavery folk didn't see it as a problem; they saw it as a natural state of affairs that suited them just fine

But both sides regarded it as an issue. It was a matter of contention and debate and, eventually, war.

Now it is neither a problem nor an issue.

The teaching of evolution is still an issue, and some would regard it as a problem.

Strokes are a medical problem; they kill and disable people. As far as I know they are not an issue. As far as I know there is no significant disagreement about their causation and treatment.

But it makes sense to talk about the cholesterol issue, because some people regard cholesterol as a great danger while others say it's relatively harmless.

To say "my son has issues at school" when you mean, "my son is both lazy and stupid" shows you like weasel words.

To say "my computer has issues with the motherboard" demonstrates that you have no feel for language at all.

But in the world as it actually exists, very few people care about precision and accuracy in language, so don't worry about it.

"A" for effort. Pathetic. You are unable to grasp the meaning of what I've written and then you condescend."A for effort". You are offended that I write that very few people care about precision and accuracy in language. Well, you live in cloud cuckoo land. Consider the word "forensic." About 20 years ago we got the phrase "forensic science." "Forensic" has always meant "legal"; never had any connotation of science. Now, overwhelmingly, it simply means "science," the science that detectives employ. A perfect demonstration that very few people care about precision and accuracy in language.

Quite simply, an issue is a matter of doubt or debate or contentiom. A problem is a difficulty that needs to be solved or resolved. Anyone wishing to use these words clearly and accurately should have no diificulty in doing so if they are aware of their true meanings. Everyone else who have no respect for precision in the use of language should continue to misuse the word "issue".