Accumulating evidence suggests that in order to understand and respond to the difficulties presented by illness, patients construct their own "common sense" cognitive model of illness. This study set out to examine self-help group members, and students' beliefs about their atopic dermatitis (AD) and to investigate their relationship with symptom report and clinical and demographic variables. A total of 284 participants with AD undertook a self-assessment of their disease severity and completed the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire. The most frequent symptoms associated with AD were itching, sleep difficulties and pain. The most commonly reported triggers of AD were stress, hereditary factors and emotional state. Over 75% of participants believed that their condition would be chronic. Self-help group members reported more significant consequences of the condition, a greater emotional impact, while the student group felt they had more personal control of their AD. Multiple regression analyses indicated that illness beliefs, in particular perceived consequences associated with AD and personal control, accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in emotional response to the condition. This study suggests that participants' beliefs and emotional response are more strongly associated with the meaning they ascribe to their condition rather than its severity.