Are attitudes and beliefs about symptoms more important than symptom severity in recovery from psychosis?

Abstract

Objective. Both beliefs about mental health experiences (“illness perceptions”) and psychological adjustment (“recovery style”) have been found to predict outcome in psychosis. This study tested the hypothesis that recovery style mediates the relationship of such beliefs with outcome. Methods. Fifty people experiencing psychosis were assessed on measures of illness perceptions, recovery style, symptom severity, engagement, impairment, and quality of life at two time points two years apart. Results. Recovery style did not appear to mediate the relationship between beliefs about mental health problems and outcome. However, expectations of more negative consequences and lower ability to make sense of symptoms were associated with poorer quality of life. Conclusions. Interventions that support recovery by reducing expectations of negative impact of psychosis and helping clients to build a more coherent sense of their difficulties, via exploration of the personal life meanings of a person’s “illness” or psychotic experience, may be at least as important as interventions that aim to reduce symptom levels. © 2010 Taylor & Francis.