The sick role, illness cognitions and outcomes in bipolar disorder

Abstract Objective In some individuals, recovery from episodes of mental illness may be impeded by maladaptive illness beliefs and behaviors. For individuals with chronic illness, acceptance of its presence and consequences is necessary to seek appropriate treatment, adjust their lifestyle, and adhere to recommended management strategies. Some have difficulty adjusting out of the sick role or develop a degree of illness investment. The Illness Cognitions Scale (ICS) is a 17-item validated scale that measures cognitive factors associated with the sick role. We conducted analyses to test the hypothesis that there may be an association between illness cognitions and clinical and functional measures. Methods The ICS was administered to 89 participants at the final study visit of a 24-month observational study involving patients with bipolar I disorder or schizoaffective disorder. Results Higher scores on the ICS were correlated with more severe depression ( p