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Depression blog
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Feb. 3, 2009
Depression treatment: Monitor how well treatment is working
By Gabrielle J. Melin, M.D.
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The goal of depression treatment is to reduce or eliminate your symptoms. While medications and therapy can be effective, symptoms may persist. The severity of the symptoms remaining after treatment may range from mild to severe. These continuing symptoms might be caused by:
- Other medical illnesses
- Chronic pain
- Substance abuse or addiction
- Personality disorders which are untreated or unrecognized
- Not following your health provider's depression treatment recommendations
It's not uncommon for depression to recur after your treatment. So, it's important to measure how well your treatment is working. I've talked about using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). This is a questionnaire (it has nine questions) you can fill out that helps you determine how depressed you are, which in turn can help you gauge how well your depression treatment is working. This assessment is based on reliable data taken from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). This manual is published by the American Psychiatric Association and is used by mental health professionals to diagnose mental conditions.
The PHQ-9 can be administered over time (like a blood pressure measurement) to monitor your depression treatment progress. I've included a link at the bottom of this posting to a depression self assessment based on the PHQ-9. Please work with your health care provider for proper assessment, evaluation and treatment of depression. A questionnaire is not a substitute for medical care. Depression is treatable and there is hope. Please share with us if you've found regular depression treatment monitoring like I've mentioned has been helpful.
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