The COAST is a patient-centred, practical and reliable measure that can be used to assess self-perceived communication effectiveness for people with aphasia and/or dysarthria. Further testing on construct validity and responsiveness to change is needed before the measure can be firmly recommended for use within clinical practice and research.

Thirty individuals with Bipolar I Disorder (16 individuals had relapsed within the last 2 years; 14 individuals had remained well over this period) were hypothesized to score higher on extreme positive and negative appraisals of internal state (HAPPI; Hypomanic Attitudes and Positive Predictions Inventory) than three control groups: remitted unipolar depression group (n = 22), and non-clinical controls with (n = 16) or without (n = 22) a history of hypomanic episodes. In partial support of the primary hypothesis, the relapsed bipolar group and the combined bipolar group scored significantly higher on the HAPPI than the unipolar group and non-clinical group when controlling for age, level of education and bipolar symptoms. It is concluded that self-reported cognitions characterize individuals with bipolar disorder, consistent with a cognitive behavioral approach to its treatment.

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