Not surprisingly, problem solvers are significantly less physically disabled and freer of depression than the equally ill patients who engage in avoidance and self-blame. Even though there is no cure for interstitial cystitis yet, many patients can and do lead happy, productive lives. Most IC patients seem to be aware of their pain daily. Living with pain and urgency, the lives of IC patients are often structured around access to public toilets. The demands of illness and often, frequent treatments, may interfere with patients' productivity at work.
Some patients can no longer work outside their homes or full-time.
Others are afraid to seek new, better jobs, terrified that their IC symptoms would not be understood or accepted by a new employer. As a result of severe IC symptoms, patients may have to forgo leisure and social activities that were once highly gratifying. Psychological adjustment to interstitial cystitis and other diseases is determined in part by the patient's ability to accept illness. Those who regard IC as a challenge are likely to be less anxious, less depressed, and more emotionally stable than those who view illness as punishment or sign that they are damaged human beings. Self-efficacy is the extent to which an individual feels competent to manage a task, including coping with illness well.