How people understand disease is critical for their behavior when they believe they are ill. Discuss each of the five components that Leventhal and his associates have identified as components of illness conceptualizations in terms of the implications for illness behavior.

A. Identity of the disease
1. Labeling symptoms as a disease is a critical component in illness conceptualization; labels provide a framework.
2. People tend to try to identify their symptoms as less threatening diseases.
B. Timeline
1. The time course of a disease is usually part of the label, but people can misunderstand this aspect of disease.
2. People tend to interpret diseases as acute rather than chronic, implying a short timeline rather than a lifelong one.
C. Determination of cause
1. People attribute their illness to some event or circumstance, but they may be inaccurate.
2. People are more likely to seek care for conditions they perceive as having a physical cause rather than mental or spiritual causes.
D. Consequence of a disease
1. People try to understand the implications of having a disease, but misunderstanding is possible.
2. People may avoid health care if they believe that the consequences of a diagnosis are severe.
E. Controllability
1. People want to see their condition as controllable.
2. If people believe that they can control their disease, they are less likely to seek health care than if they believe they need help to control their illness.