Tracking depression scores when treatment is hard
In hard-to-treat depression, symptom scores (PHQ-9) should be tracked repeatedly to guide changes.
Across de-identified U.S. psychiatric records, we found this step was missed about 73% of the time it should have happened.
This page is here to help you know what to ask about. It is not medical advice, and you should never start, stop, or change a medication on your own. Bring these questions to a doctor who knows you.
Questions to ask your doctor
Copy a line and ask it at your next visit. These are questions to start a conversation, not instructions to change your treatment.
- Could we track my depression score regularly to guide treatment changes?
- Can we measure how I'm doing at each visit?
This page is information, not medical advice. It describes care patterns across many people and can't speak to your own situation. Bring these questions to a clinician who knows you.
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