Might be a good idea to be explicit here, for example by creating a tiny method, say:

```javascript
isNewMessage: function() {
  return !this.state.message;
}
```

And then replacing the condition with:

```javascript
if (this.isNewMessage()) {
  // return component wired up for a brand new message
}
// else return component for an existing message thread
```

Keep in mind that if you return early, you don't need `else`. Example:

```javascript
if (foo === 'bar') {
  return 'babar';
}
return 'default';
```