The quality of life construct in bipolar disorder research and practice: past, present, and possible futures.

The quality of life (QoL) construct is becoming more prominent in bipolar disorder (BD) research and practice. Uptake of the construct parallels an earlier trend in schizophrenia research, and coincides with growing interest in psychosocial components of BD's aetiology, phenomenology, and treatment. We argue that, although QoL and symptom measures derive from competing paradigms in mental health (the biopsychosocial and medical model, respectively), they are best seen as complementary. This pluralistic stance is clinically appropriate, and generates important questions for future research.