Common Sense Model of Illness

Question 1

What are the 5 components of illness perceptions?

Answer 1

\+ Identity
\+ Consequences
\+ Timeline
\+ Cause
\+ Cure/controllability

Question 2

Illness perceptions: What is identity?

Answer 2

Sypmtoms experienced by the person as well as person’s label for disease (patient’s own or doctor’s diagnosis/label)

Question 3

Illness perceptions: What is consequences?

Answer 3

Patient’s perceptions of the possible effects of the illnessin their life e.g physcial, emotional, financial, social

Question 4

Illness perceptions: What is timeline?

Answer 4

Patient’s beliefs about how long the illness will last, whether it’s acute, chronic or cyclical

Question 5

Illness perceptions: What is cause?

Answer 5

Perceived cause of illness e.g biological (virus etc), ot psychosocial (stress or some health behaviour such as smoking)

Question 6

Illness perceptions: What is cure/controllability?

Answer 6

Patient’s beliefs about whether illness can be cred and the extent to which the outcome of their illness is controllable (either by themselves or by powerful others)